


True Colors: Coming Back Around

by Cinderpaw1, dancer4813



Series: True Colors Verse [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anxiety/Panic Attacks also happen on occasion, Engagement, F/M, Family connections, Found Family, True Colors Verse, Wedding Planning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2018-12-20 00:17:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 45,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11909232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cinderpaw1/pseuds/Cinderpaw1, https://archiveofourown.org/users/dancer4813/pseuds/dancer4813
Summary: Vex has settled in to her new life in Emon. She has her incredible fiancé, her twin is back in her life, and she’s begun to mend the rift between her and her father.Percy couldn’t be prouder of her.But planning a wedding is a much bigger challenge than he had originally anticipated, and a few ghosts from his own past crawl out of the woodwork because of it. Add that to taking on more responsibility at Whitestone, the programming company that belongs to his family, and Percy isn’t quite sure which way is up anymore.How is he supposed to enjoy this new chapter in his life when his past is clawing him back down?





	1. Family

“I’m still fairly positive I made a gross social faux pas when I neglected to ask your parents for your hand in marriage.” Vex complained, leaning against Percy’s side in the back of the towncar they were taking to the sprawling de Rolo manor on the outskirts of Emon. “Are you sure that we can’t just... pretend? So I can pretend to ask for their blessing before I’m hunted down and murdered in my sleep?”

Percy chuckled softly, rubbing Vex’s shoulders affectionately. “I’m certain that everything will turn out just fine. It’s not conventional, sure, but since when has our relationship been conventional?”

“True.” Vex replied, nuzzling her head against his shoulder. “I just don’t want your parents to hate me.” She admitted quietly.

“They’re not going to hate you.” Percy reassured her. “Mother already loves you, and I’m fairly certain that Father is going to explode with happiness when he sees what you’ve brought.” He nodded towards the canvas next to them, a jaguar similar to the painting that hung in Percy’s office that Frederick absolutely loved.

“Now I feel like I’m bribing him.” Vex chuckled softly.

“It might soften the blow a little.” Percy smiled, pressing a kiss to her hair.

“I still feel like we should pretend the proposal went the other way around, in you proposing to me.” Vex murmured.

"Honestly, I don't think you should worry, dear. They love you already. This is just a formality.”

“A casual dinner with your family instead of a formal one is a “formality?” Vex arched a questioning eyebrow at him, and Percy just laughed.

“Things might sound a bit backwards, yes. But you’re the one who agreed to come to the next family dinner, remember.” Percy pointed out.

“I did.” Vex agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not still nervous.”

“It’s not even the entire family.” Percy replied. “You’ve already met everyone attending tonight. Ludwig’s still in Wildmount, and the twins are out of town as well. It’s just my parents, Julius, Vesper, and Cassandra.”

"I guess that makes it a bit better," Vex conceded, leaning against Percy's shoulder. He put an arm around her shoulders and she felt herself relax a bit. Even if she did mess something up, she knew that Percy would be by her side.

The towncar pulled up to a gated entrance, and Percy gave him the passcode to unlock the bars. They drove up a winding road, Vex’s nerves getting worse the closer they got to the large, sprawling manor that was Percy’s childhood home.

She’d grown accustomed to large displays of wealth, between Percy and her brother, but this just bled exorbitant amounts of money that she couldn’t even imagine.

They pulled up to the front and Percy got out, giving her his hand to help her out of the car like the gentleman he was. Vex got out of the car and looked around, feeling completely out of place.

This place was old, but well maintained, with the greenery perfectly trimmed and the front area gleaming despite the dust that threatened to settle from their walk up the stairs. A pair of massive mahogany doors waited for them, and Percy pushed them open with a familiarity that Vex was almost envious of.

Clutching the edges of the painting, Vex followed Percy through the doors, which closed behind them, and she found herself in a huge entryway. She wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it was both bigger and homier than she had anticipated. The floors were a dark, rich grain that matched the banisters arcing down from either side of the top floor, and there were pieces of art along each wall, both older paintings and more modern designs. But she was startled out of examining the decor by a sudden greeting from Vesper. 

"Hello, Vex!" she exclaimed, arms outstretched. Vex accepted the hug with a smile, carefully holding the painting with one hand, and after a moment Vesper pulled away, looking over Vex's shoulder at Percy. "I'm so glad that Percival remembered our address after being away for so long."

“Because you haven’t been out of the house longer than I have.” Percy retorted, though he gave her a smile and a hug as well.

“I visit more frequently, at least.” Vesper chuckled, looking at them both. “C'mon, everyone’s in the sitting room having wine. Julius is late, but since when has that been a shock?” She smiled, leading them through the entryway and through the sprawling hallways. Vex tried to keep track of the turns, but gave up after a few moments and decided she would just rely on Vesper and Percy to get around. This place was massive, even more so than Syldor’s home.

When they entered the sitting room, decorated modestly all things considered, Johanna lit up and set her wine glass aside. “Percival! Vex’ahlia! So glad you’ve arrived.” She gave them wide smiles, getting up from the couch she had been sitting on and going to give them both hugs.

"Hello, Mother," Percy said, and Vex chuckled as he grinned and hugged her tightly in return. 

"Hello, Mrs. de Rolo," Vex said, suddenly feeling nervous again, as if the ring on Percy’s finger would be immediately apparent through a hug, but after a (thankfully) gentle hug, she simply pulled back and smiled, looking Vex up and down. 

"You're certainly looking very well," she said, "It seems that Percival's been taking good care of you." 

Vex felt her own smile tighten at that, but Percy cut in before she could really get angry at all. "She can take care of herself, Mother," he said, coming over and putting a hand on Vex's shoulder. "I'm doing what I can, but she's pretty self-sufficient."

“I do my best. But that doesn’t mean that Percy doesn’t try to pamper me more than he needs to.” Vex let out a light chuckle, before looking towards Frederick, who was sipping his own glass of wine. “…I painted this for you.” She offered him the canvas. “Percy told me how much you loved the jaguar he has in his office, so I painted one for you.”

Frederick’s face broke into a wide smile, and he got up to take the painting from her. “Incredible. Amazing. Percival, when are you going to marry this woman, because I think she’s my favorite of all your significant others.” He grinned at his son, causing Vex’s heart to beat a little faster in her chest.

“Hey now!” Vesper complained, though her tone was still teasing. “Jarrett is wonderful to me, and respects you deeply!”

“He doesn’t make me paintings, does he?” Frederick chuckled, looking at her with a warm smile. “Thank you, Vex’ahlia. I’ll hang it in my own office immediately.”

"I'm glad you like it," Vex said, a little bit of her tension falling away. She hadn't been _too_ worried about him disliking the painting, especially since he had specifically mentioned the one at Percy's office, but she had still been nervous. No matter what she tried, she was never fully satisfied with her work, always able to see the flaws in them, and was always afraid that people would be quick to see the same flaws, and dislike them because of it.

"Anyways, would you like to sit down?" Johanna asked, gesturing to the empty space next to Vesper on the couch and the love seat. Cassandra was sitting in her own chair, her legs folded neatly as she sipped at her own glass. She waved, and Vex grinned, winking in return. "We have a bottle of wine open, unless you would prefer water, or-" 

"Or sparkling grape juice," Cassandra cut in, lifting her own glass, "Or we have a large variety of soda products available in the fridge-" 

"Wine will be fine for me," Percy interrupted her, rolling his eyes despite a chuckle. Vex found herself grinning at Cassandra's blase attitude as well, and was glad that she seemed to be acting the same as usual. 

"I'll take a glass of wine as well," she said, following Percy to sit on the love seat.

Johanna poured them both glasses of the sangiovese that was sitting off to the side, handing them over once they were full. “This wine is from Italy, and it’s quite wonderful. Nice and light on the tongue.” She smiled.

Percy gave his a swirl before sipping it, and Vex copied him. The wine was very smooth on the tongue, and she found she liked it a lot.

“Now where is Julius?” Johanna checked her watch. “He said he would be here ten minutes ago.”

“It’s Julius, Mother.” Cassandra pointed out. “If he was on time for anything that wasn’t a work meeting, I think we would all be concerned.”

The door opened, and a handsome man with dark skin and dark brown hair entered, giving them all a smile. “Your house is extraordinarily easy to get lost in.” He commented, his voice low and rich with an accent that Vex couldn’t quite place. She felt her heart pick up slightly as he glanced at her, and knew that if she wasn’t engaged and currently sitting next to her fiancé, she would have made a move on this one.

He went over and sat next to Vesper, putting an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple lightly.

“You must be Jarrett.” Vex said, trying to keep herself from staring too much. She had heard a lot about him from Vesper, but they had never had a chance to meet.

“Guilty as charged.” He flashed her a smile. “And you must be Vex’ahlia. A pleasure to meet you at last.”

“Likewise.” Vex replied, before looking back at Percy and giving him a smile and a kiss on his cheek, lacing their hands together. No, she was quite happy with the man next to her, despite the initial attraction to Jarrett.

"She made me this painting," Frederick grinned, and Vex felt her cheeks darken as Jarrett turned to see the jaguar she'd made for him. 

Percy rubbed his thumb over hers, obviously sensing her embarrassment, and whispered in her ear "Don't worry, he'll do that for everyone who comes to the house for the next month. Goodness knows he did it for everything we've made over the years, and yours is much better than those old things." 

"That makes me feel so much better," Vex hissed in his ear, but she felt a warmth in her chest at the reminder that she was more-or-less part of the family now. 

"It's lovely," Jarrett agreed after a moment of inspecting the painting, turning a genuine smile back on Vex. "You should be very proud of your work.”

“Thank you.” Vex gave him a polite nod and a smile in return.

The door opened a few moments later and Julius strode in, looking a little harried. “Sorry I’m late, Mother.” He apologized, moving to press a light kiss to her cheek and give her a gentle hug.

“It’s quite all right dear, you made it.” Johanna smiled, patting his arm affectionately.

“We’re all shocked, Julius.” Cassandra said with a deadpan look, and all of the siblings burst out laughing. Vex smiled, but she felt like she didn’t know Julius enough to be able to join in the teasing. She’d met him, but she’d never spent an exorbitant amount of time with him, and the closest she’d been was overhearing him defending her at a party once.

"Hello, Vex'ahlia; hello, Jarrett," Julius greeted the two of them, and both of them greeted him in turn. Johanna tapped him on the shoulder, making him turn around, and handed him a glass of the Sangiovese. With a smile he accepted the glass and swirled the contents, inhaling deeply before taking a drink, almost making a show out of it. 

"You don't have to gloat, Julius, we know you like it," Cassandra quipped, "But I'll just enjoy my grape juice, don't mind me." She lifted her nose in the air and twirled her own glass expertly, taking a measured sip of her own drink and making the siblings break out into chuckles again. 

Vex glanced over at Jarrett, who was also looking around the room. He shrugged in response to her curious look, and it made her feel a bit better.

Once the chuckles died down, Vex gently squeezed Percy’s hand and they shared a look. Vex felt her heart begin beating a little faster.

“Well, now that everyone’s here, Vex and I have an announcement.” Percy told the room. Vesper’s face curled into a knowing smile; she had known from the beginning, but Vex had sworn her to secrecy until she and Percy announced it to the rest of the family.

“Oh?” Johanna looked intrigued, and Vex noticed that her eyes darted down to Vex’s left hand. She still wasn’t wearing a ring yet; that was a conversation that her and Percy were still in the middle of, since Vex didn’t want an extravagant engagement ring, but Percy wanted to get her an expensive one regardless.

Vex nodded, and Percy pulled her close, kissing her temple. “Vex and I are engaged to be married.” He told them, and she could feel the happy smile against the top of her head, and hear the happiness in his voice.

This was miles different than what had happened with Saundor.

"Oh, congratulations!" Julius exclaimed, just as his father said "Excellent!"

"I mean, congratulations," Frederick said, clearing his throat at a glance from his wife, to chuckles from the rest of the room. 

"Congrats, Percy! You beat Vesper!" Cassandra said, patting her brother on the back with a wide grin. 

"Congratulations," Jarrett said, Vesper echoing him. 

"Oh my goodness," Johanna said, her eyes suspiciously bright as she came forward to hug first Percy, then Vex again. "I'm so excited. And though I don't want to pry," she said, voice dropping a bit as she pulled back from the second hug, "I can't help but ask, Vex'ahlia. Where is the ring? Please tell me Percival didn't have a ring when he proposed." 

"Well, he didn't..." Vex said, trailing off, but, eager to save Percy from the death glare Johanna turned on him, she continued on. "But that was because he didn't propose. I did."

Johanna smiled. “That’s so sweet.” She murmured, gently patting Vex’s cheek. “And in that case, I have a gift for you. One moment.” She turned and left the room then, and Vex felt a little confused.

“Welcome to the family.” Julius gave her a smile, coming over and lifting Vex up into a swinging hug. Vex gasped and clung to him, afraid of being dropped, and backed away a little when he set her down, before looking at Vesper. “Look, I’ll pay you next time I see you, I don’t have any cash on me.” 

Vesper just laughed. “I better see it.” She gave him a wink, and Vex just felt even more confused.

Johanna returned a few moments later, holding a small box in her hand. “I always said I would give this to the first of my children to be wed.” She murmured, handing the box over to Vex with a warm smile. “Welcome to the family, dear. We’re so excited to have you as a part of it.”

Vex opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond ring, clearly very old, but very well taken care of. The engraving on the inside simply read “De Rolo.”

She covered her mouth with her hand. “…I can’t accept this.” Vex whispered softly. 

"She's not going to not let you take it," Cassandra hissed from Vex's right. 

Johanna ignored her and smiled, crouching down and closing the ring box, curling her hands around Vexs' and pushing it gently toward Vex's chest. "It's a gift for a gorgeous young woman, who's soon to be my first daughter in law," she said, and Vex blinked quickly as she felt her eyes start to water. "And you, Vex'ahlia, who've brought so much joy to my second son, to our family, definitely deserve it.”

Vex couldn't argue with that, and she sniffed as tears started to fall, but she smiled and nodded, accepting another hug from Johanna. "I'm so glad he found you," she whispered as she patted Vex on the back, smiling.

Vex just gently squeezed the older woman. “I’m glad he did too.” She whispered in return, her voice slightly choked.

Johanna gave her a smile as she pulled away, and Percy gently took the box from Vex, opening it and removing the ring before taking Vex’s hand, sliding it onto her finger.

It was a perfect fit.

Vex didn’t believe in fairytale weddings, or true love or anything like that. But in that moment, feeling the heirloom rest perfectly on her finger, she couldn't help but think that maybe some things were fated to be.

Percy pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, his own eyes suspiciously bright as he looked at her. 

“Now, let’s see the ring Vex got you.” Cassandra urged her brother.

He chuckled and first handed Vex a handkerchief, which she took from him gratefully, dabbing at her cheeks as he held out his hand to Cassandra, who started playing with it around his finger. She examined the band, and expressed her congratulations again, then let the rest of the family see it, Percy walking over to Vesper and Jarrett, which Vex was thankful for as she finished drying up the tears around her eyes. 

"Well, now you both will have to be at more family dinners," Frederick said, a happy grin on his face after patting Percy on the back. "No excuses now!" 

"Of course," Percy said, rolling his eyes in amusement. 

"We'll be here," Vex promised, keeping her eyes on Frederick as the rest of the family turned her way. "After all, I've got to meet the rest of my future siblings, don't I?" 

Cassandra gasped, and Vex suddenly found a grinning teen next to her on the couch. "We get to be sisters! Excellent!" 

"Should I be offended or jealous?" Vesper asked from her own seat as she smirked and sipped at her wine. 

"Offended, probably," Cassandra smirked, pulling Vex into a side hug. "I mean, you're kinda cool, but Vex is definitely cooler than you." 

Vex laughed as Vesper rolled her eyes and took another sip from her glass, and Cassandra pulled back from Vex so she could more accurately point her - very proper - stuck-out tongue in Vesper's direction.

Julius chuckled and clapped Percy on the shoulder. “Congratulations, brother.” He murmured, before looking at Vex with a grin. “I dunno how he did it, wooing someone like you, Vex’ahlia, but rest assured that whatever he did? Completely a lie.” Julius gave her an exaggerated wink.

“You mean he doesn’t have his personal private island? Drats. The wedding’s off.” Vex retorted with a smile on her face, and Julius laughed. 

“Yep, she’s a De Rolo all right.” He grinned, and his words touched Vex deep in her chest as she looked around at the others there, all smiling and warm and relaxed in a way she hadn’t seen most of them before. Before today they had always been at formal events, and she had honestly been a little frightened. But seeing them like this, relaxed and joking and informal?

She felt a lot better about everything.

“Have you put any thought into the wedding yet?” Johanna asked. “I’m not certain how long you’ve been engaged.”

“A few weeks, now.” Percy replied, moving to sit next to Vex again, holding her close as he settled back into the couch. “And not very much. We’re still just getting used to the feeling of being engaged.”

"That's perfectly fine, but when you have a date in mind, let us know," she said, sipping her own wine. "We can take care of booking the venue, and the guest lists of course - oh, I should probably start putting that together-" 

"But first, dinner, right dear?" Frederick asked, taking his wife's free hand as he interrupted her. Johanna sighed, but smiled at him and nodded, taking a breath, which Vex was thankful for. Honestly, she would really prefer a small wedding, though she wasn't sure just how small the de Rolos would be willing to go. 

"I suppose you're right," Johanna said, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "After all, it should be ready any minute." 

"Excellent, I'm starving," Julius said. "What are we having?"

The dining room was huge compared to most that Vex had seen - it was almost like a movie, with the large patterned windows on one wall and the long wooden table, already set with dishes on one end, a perfect floral centerpiece sitting on a runner down the middle. As they all sat down, Percy on Vex's left and Julius on her right, Johanna went to the other side of the room, opening a door set into the wall, and spoke with someone on the other side before returning to sit at her husband's side. "Our food will be out momentarily," she said, "But until then, does anyone want more wine? Or some water? Something else?"

"I'll have some more wine." Vex murmured, and the bottle was passed down, Percy pouring her another helping into her glass. Vex smiled, thanking him with a kiss to his cheek.

Fredrick raised his glass. "A toast, to Percival and Vex'ahlia, and the bright future in front of them." Everyone raised their glasses, and Vex smiled softly at the people around her. Her family. 

It was such a new sensation. 

As the food was being served, Johanna looked at the rest of them. "So Whitney is recovering well from her surgery, and the twins will be back next month. We're going to have a ball to celebrate, I hope you'll all be able to make it."

"Is she okay?" Vex asked. She'd never met the twins, but Percy hadn't mentioned them being ill before.

"She's perfectly fine, it was just a necessary surgery for her. It helped her feel more at home in her own skin." Frederick replied.

"Oh, a bit of plastic surgery?" Vex asked. "I suppose if you can afford it..." She'd never seen the appeal of changing her face or anything, except considering it once before she'd gotten away from Saundor. Simply getting a "face-lift" or "nose job" for aesthetic reasons seed like a waste of money.

The moment the words left Vex's lips, an awkward silence fell over the entire table, the de Rolos giving each other fleeting looks. Vex shrank back against her chair a little, feeling embarrassed and like she had said the wrong thing. Percy put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's not quite that." He murmured. "Oliver and Whitney were born identical twins."

"Identic- ohhhh," Vex said, eyes widening and her cheeks flushing as she realized her mistake. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend. I didn't-"

"it's quite all right, dear." Johanna gave her a warm smile. "Whitney hasn't called herself a boy since she was very young. It's not exactly something we make public knowledge, so we're not upset at you for not knowing."

"Still, I feel bad for assuming," Vex murmured, biting her lip. "I had no idea, I just..." She trailed off, hating how stupid she felt.

"it's all right." Julius replied, taking a sip from his glass. "Gods know enough women with money get reconstructive surgery they don't actually need. It's not a far leap, honestly." 

Vex just felt her cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. Of all the blunders she's sure she had made in front of these people, none of them measured up to this.

"We kept it out of the public eye for a reason," Vesper smiled reassuringly at her. "Honestly, I would have been surprised if you _had_ known. It's all good, we promise." Vex nodded, feeling a bit better at everyone's reassurances.

"Besides, you're going to be an official de Rolo." Cassandra pointed out. "So now you get to hear some of the family secrets." She grinned. "Like the time Julius dra-" 

"She doesn't need to know _all_ of the secrets." Julius interrupted, his own cheeks flushing and causing everyone to burst into laughter.

"Oh no, do tell, Cassandra," Vesper said, grinning over at her sister. "It's a _wonderful_ story, isn't it Julius?" 

"I really don't think Vex wants to hear about that - she'd much rather hear about your piano lessons, or even that time when you snuck-" 

"Nope!" Cassandra exclaimed, and they stared each other down for a long moment, at a draw.

Vesper was laughing, and even Percy was chuckling slightly. Vex leaned onto the table, folding her fingers together and looking at both siblings. "I don't know, I'm fairly curious about both stories now." She smiled, teasing and feeling a bit better now that all the attention wasn't on her. 

"...Percival once drank spiked apple juice when he was a teenager, and puked in the middle of a formal Christmas dinner." Julius decided. 

"Hey! I had no part in this!" Percy protested.

"Is _that_ what happened?" Frederick asked, gasping out a disbelieving laugh. "And to think we nearly brought you to the hospital for the sudden illness you'd developed." 

Percy flushed, lifting his eyes to the ceiling, and Vex chuckled, taking a bite of her pasta as she patted Percy's shoulder. "I didn't know it would taste so bad!" he said in his defense, making those at the table grin. 

"Are there any stories about you, Vesper?" Jarrett asked, though he'd been silent for most of the discussion, and Vesper turned to him quickly, looking betrayed.

"Oh, are there." Percy smiled, happy to turn the tables on his older sister. "There was the time when she mistook the Nair for shampoo..." 

"The twins switched that, thank you!" Vesper replied hotly, and Jarrett laughed. Vesper shot him a glare.

Johanna laughed out loud. "I remember that! Only a couple of weeks after you'd gotten a haircut as well - though you did learn how to shop for wigs after that, didn't you?" 

"And we all bought her nice headscarves for her birthday that year," Cassandra added cheekily.

Vesper groaned, leaning against the back of the chair. "I hated you all." 

"You sure you still want to marry into this?" Julius teased Vex, and she just smiled, holding Percy's hand under the table.

"You know, strangely enough I'm looking forwards to it." She smiled.

"Good to hear," Johanna replied, nodding at Vex from across the table. Vex agreed with a nod of her own. 

Dinner was served not long after that, and they all dug into the delicious meal. As they ate, Vex couldn't help but look around at the other people seated around them.

Next to Johanna and Frederick, Vesper and Jarrett were having their own quiet conversation, and Vesper chuckled, kissing him on the cheek. Julius and Cassandra were eating, but taking it in turns to make ridiculous faces at each other, and Vex felt her heart warm as she looked around at all of them. 

They were certainly an interesting family, and nothing like she expected them to be, but she found herself loving them for it all the more.


	2. Overwhelmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She was lounging on the couch in the apartment, just reading a book, when she heard the door open. "Welcome home!" she called out, closing the book and getting up, expecting to see Percy coming around the corner.
> 
> "Is that all you'll say after so long apart?" A voice that was painfully familiar and decidedly not Percy's came through the door and Vex felt a lance of fear stab through her as she tried to push herself up and away from the door.

Vex was lounging in the living room, watching some trash television and cuddling with Trinket. She really should have been out working, but her period had come early and she just wasn't in the mood to deal with the general populace. And considering her fiancé was a rich accountant, she didn't feel as bad about skipping a day as she normally would have.

She was starting to come to terms with the fact that her and Percy were going to be married, and that meant that they were going to begin sharing finances and other such things. It felt much less like mooching off of a rich boyfriend, and much more like letting her husband take care of her when she felt like shit.

It also meant that she would have to consider the fact that her shit credit, ruined by an unpayable hospital bill, was going to affect Percy’s credit.

Just as that thought started to creep into her mind, there was a knock on the door, and Vex looked up, confused. Usually if they weren't expecting anyone, the doorman wouldn't let them up. Hell, the doorman barely let _her_ up.

Warily, she approached the door and peered out the peephole. Vex was surprised to see an immaculately put together Johanna de Rolo standing outside the door, holding a briefcase in one hand and looking like she meant business.

She had not expected her soon-to-be mother-in-law, and stared for a moment, not sure what to do, before Vex realized she really shouldn't leave the woman waiting. Opening the door, she did her best to hitch what she could only hope was a bright smile onto her face. “Hello, Johanna. What a pleasant surprise!”

Johanna replied with a large smile. "Hello Vex'ahlia! I was hoping you'd be home, Percival said you might be out working. I would have tried to find your studio if that had been the case. May I come in?"

Vex felt very underdressed in a pair of Percy's pajama pants and a tank top compared to Johanna's business suit, but she nodded. "Come in, just be careful, Trinket's going to be excited to see a new face here."

"Oh, and Trinket is your dog, right? I'm sure he's just the sweetest-" Johanna was cut off by the dog in question ran into the entryway of the apartment, paws heavy against the floor as he bounded up to her.

"Trinket!" Vex warned preemptively, and Trinket skidded to a stop, though his tongue still lolled out of his mouth as he panted and he shifted restlessly, tail wagging non-stop.

"Oh," Johanna murmured, a little paler than she had been, dropping one of her hands from over her chest as she took a deep breath.

Vex kept her hand in the stay gesture she had taught Trinket, looking at Johanna. "Don't worry, he listens to me. He won't do a thing you don't want him to."

Trinket whined softly, but stayed. Vex changed her finger placement, and Trinket moved to her side, sitting and waiting patiently.

"He's... Much larger than I anticipated. When Percival mentioned you had a dog, I wasn't expecting one this big," Johanna replied, looking slightly more at ease when it was clear Trinket wasn't going to charge her.

"He's certainly a force unto himself," Vex agreed, dropping her hand to Trinket's head, scratching behind his ears. "And while I didn't know just how big he'd get when I found him, I still wouldn't give him up for the world." Trinket leaned his head against her leg, and Vex smiled, running her fingers up and down his neck. "Would you like to pet him? He really is quite friendly to everyone."

Johanna nodded slowly, hesitantly extending a beautifully manicured hand for Trinket to sniff at, before she gently pet his head. Trinket's tongue lolled out of his mouth, and he continued wagging his tail happily.

"He is very well behaved for a dog this large," Johanna told her, looking up at Vex from where she had been carefully watching Trinket.

"He's been with me since I found him, and I've trained him well," Vex said, placing a hand on his back to remind him to not jump up on Johanna. "There were some rough patches, but now he's the sweetest dog you could ask for."

 _Unless you want to hurt him or me, then you're screwed,_ Vex added silently, not entirely sure what she felt comfortable speaking to Johanna about. She hadn't spent much time with the woman, and she'd usually seen her dressed up in her finest for one of the de Rolos' fancy parties. Vex could already feel her back straightening, her diction changing as she spent time in Johanna's presence. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" she asked.

Johanna nodded and dropped her hand from Trinket's head. "I came to start discussing plans for the wedding, of course,” she replied. "I know you and Percival haven't given a date yet, but these things take time. We have caterers to choose, and locations to rent, and time to allow the designers to make your suits and dresses-"

"Come inside," Vex interrupted before Johanna could continue on her tirade, gesturing to the living room. "Would you like anything to drink?" She asked, going to the kitchen, intent on pulling out a bottle of wine. Alcohol was definitely going to be necessary for this conversation.

"That would be wonderful," Johanna said, and Vex saw her find a seat on the end of the couch, opening the briefcase to expose several folders filled with paper-clipped files. "Some sort of wine would be preferable, but anything you like, dear."

Vex grabbed a bottle at random, glad for the work it took to get the cork out as it distracted her from the sudden anxiety thoughts of the wedding had brought up. They hadn't even set a date, for goodness' sake, and here Johanna was talking about catering and dresses, and who knew what else...

"Glasses of wine coming up!" she called back, trying to sound cheery instead of stressed. Trinket bumped his head against her leg and Vex grimaced out a smile as she patted his head, then poured two glasses of wine and carried them into the living room, handing one to Johanna before taking a seat.

Johanna smiled at her. "Thank you dear." She took a sip, before chuckling. "Mm, this is a nice Merlot. This is Percival's favorite, I'm certain he'll be jealous we're drinking it without him"

Vex swallowed and tucked her feet underneath her as she sat, even though it wasn't how she would normally sit around Johanna. It couldn't hurt to relax a little more around the woman.

"So, down to business then." Johanna smiled, setting her glass down. "I have a list of people that should be invited, and a list of people that should probably be invited, and a separate list of people who we can invite if you'd like to fill the numbers out a little." She handed over three separate, thick sheaths of paper to Vex.

Eyes wide, Vex took them, but when she glanced down at the first, there wasn't a single name she recognized on the first page. "I was actually hoping for a smaller wedding," Vex admitted, setting aside her glass so she could thumb through the papers. Each list seemed to be alphabetized and just as extensive as each of the others. Did Percy really know so many people? She knew his family was well connected, but as she flipped through page after page of potential guests, she grew more and more alarmed by the number of people listed. 

"I know you have many political ties, but a wedding would mean more to me without hundreds of strangers there." Vex bit her lip. She knew that this was her wedding, and in the end, it would be her say, but she couldn't help but worry that she'd overstepped. Obviously Johanna had put quite a lot of work into the lists...

"Oh, completely disregard the third list then." Johanna smiled, seemingly unaffected. "We can just do the first two lists." 

Even just the first two lists had to be at least five hundred people, and Vex sighed heavily. "Johanna... I don't want this to be a spectacle,” she replied. "I was honestly hoping for maybe twenty people at the most..."

"Twenty?" Johanna asked, looked confused. "Are you quite sure, dear? This is your wedding day and we want it to be spectacular, just as you deserve... Twenty is hardly enough to fill the first two rows of a chapel!"

"I'm quite certain," Vex replied, remembering her first wedding, with Saundor and his brother at the courthouse, both him and her in casual clothes and cheap rings from Walmart. "I really just want something small, with just close friends and family members,” she murmured, trying to keep her hands from shaking as she pushed the memories away.

"Well, if that's what you want..." Johanna said with a sigh, as if she was disappointed. Vex felt her stomach flip uncomfortably in her stomach at the sound. "I'd like to speak to Percival about it, perhaps narrow down the guest lists, and we can see how you feel about it after a little more thought?"

"All right," Vex replied, making a mental note to make sure Percy was aware of her desire for a small wedding. 

"And of course, we'll need your list as well," Johanna said. "Who you would like to invite." 

Vex nodded, taking one of the sheets and a pen and starting to write down names. "Vax'ildan and Keyleth Ashari, Scanlan Shorthalt, Kaylie Shorthalt, Dr. Dranzel, Syldor, Devanna, and Velora Vessar." She slid the paper over to Johanna.

"Is that it?" Johanna asked, dropping her composure for a moment before she shook her head, straightening up. "Well, if that's all you can think of now dear, tell Percival if there's anyone else you'd like to invite, and he can let me know. An accomplished artist like yourself? I'm sure you have plenty of buyers who would love to support you on your special day."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Vex replied, looking down at her hands. She really didn’t feel like she could argue with the other woman, considering that the de Rolos were the ones who were going to finance the entire wedding. "...I do appreciate all the work you put into these lists, I just... I don't have a lot, and I don't want to make this expensive and huge."

"Mmmm," Johanna hummed, and Vex had heard that same him before, from her father and Saundor and others, as if they were sure she would change her mind. "Well, we'll put these away for now and take a look at the color options then, since location and catering will have to wait depending on the size of the wedding," Johanna said, flipping through her neatly-organized folders to find the one she was looking for. 

Vex took a sip of wine, trying to ignore the anxiety bubbling in her chest.

"So, what colors did you imagine when you were thinking of planning your special day?" Johanna asked. "The family colors are blue, lavender, gold, and silver, but we'll of course do whatever you would prefer." 

"I have a fondness for teal and gold." Vex replied, glad to be talking about something that wasn’t stoking the anxiety in her chest.

"Hmmm, teal would go well with your complexion," Johanna nodded, looking Vex up and down, and Vex realized where Vesper got her intense gaze from. "I do think those might work, a little of you, a little of Percival, yes. Let me see what I have here..." She trailed off, pulling out and flipping through a thin binder, which Vex realized held several hundred swatches of colors. "Ah, yes, how about one of these," she said, holding out the binder, which was open to a page with about fifty different shades of blue.

Vex looked over with a critical eye, examining the shades. This was comforting, familiar. Colors, she could do. 

"How about this?" She pointed, picking out a shade called "Cleopatra's Eye", a nice shade of dark teal.

"Ah, a good choice," Johanna nodded, taking note of the name and number of the color. "That would be perfect for tablecloths, and the fabric hangings... I think there are some lovely golds here as well, if we just turn a few more pages..." Johanna reached over and flipped to be back of the book, where the metallic swatches were.

Vex hummed thoughtfully, examining the golds and taking the page with the teal swatch, making sure that they would compliment each other.

"I'm not entirely certain which gold is more similar to your family's colors," Vex admitted, looking back and forth between the two pages again, "But I like either "Nobility" or "Golden Bear". One's a bit brighter, the other more subdued..."

"The Nobility shade is the closest to the de Rolo gold," Johanna replied, after looking between them.

The door opened, and Trinket barked and went to greet Percy happily. "Hello darling, your mother is here!" Vex called out.

"Is she?" Percy asked, poking his head into the living room. "Hello, mother, I didn't think you'd be stopping by so soon. When you asked if Vex was usually home during the day I thought you were asking prospectively."

"We had to start discussing the guest list and colors." Johanna replied, giving her son a smile. 

Vex looked up at him as he came over to the couch. "I didn't even start thinking about lunch, sorry dear." 

"That's all right." Percy smiled, making his way around the couch and capturing her lips in a kiss. "Since Mother is here, we'll probably go out somewhere nice." 

Vex returned the kiss, making a face when it broke. "Mmmm. That requires actually getting dressed."

Percy chuckled. "Yes, yes it does." 

Vex sighed heavily, though clearly quite dramatically. "Well, if you insist, darling," She smiled, winking at him and standing. "I suppose I could be bothered to put on some respectable clothes." 

Percy looked like he wanted to say something about liking her better with no clothes - he'd said as much to her before - but she saw his eyes dart sideways to where his mother was sitting, and he held his tongue, though his cheeks flushed.

Vex just gave him a wink before heading to their room, going to put on a shirt and some nice pants. She was not in the mood to try and handle a dress. 

She came out to Percy and Johanna chatting, and Johanna turned to Vex. "Are you certain we can't cap the attendance at two hundred?" she asked.

Vex looked at Percy, who winced and shrugged helplessly. "I really would like a smaller attendance," Vex admitted, "If at all possible. Again, I know that you have connections, but I hardly know any of them."

"We can always have a few dinners and parties, introduce you. Of course, we'll have an engagement party, and we can make sure all the invitees attend that as well-" 

"Mother, let's take a break from wedding planning for now?" Percy cut her off. "We still need to pick a date."

Johanna frowned at him, but at his look she sighed and nodded. "I suppose we can, for a while," she agreed, taking the lists of guests and stowing them away once again. "But we do have a lot to plan before the ceremony - we don't want to leave it until the last minute."

"I know, but picking a date will make all this easier, and that's something Vex and I want to discuss on our own. For now, let's go to that steakhouse you love for lunch." Percy put a gentle hand on her back and guided her out the front door.

Vex sighed with relief as Percy led his mother out the door and paused to check that Trinket had some water in his bowl before following them out, catching up with them at the elevator. 

Actually planning a wedding was a lot more work than she had expected.

***

Lunch went well, and thankfully Johanna went home afterwards. When they came back to the apartment, Vex immediately moved to flop onto the couch, groaning into the pillow. 

"Are you okay, dear?" Percy asked, sitting next to her and running his fingers through her hair. 

"I didn't realize everything that goes into this..." She mumbled into the fabric. 

There was a moment of quiet from Percy, before he spoke. "...If you really don't want this, we don't have to do this,” he murmured. "I'm happy with how we are now, if that's what you want."

"No," Vex said instinctively, pushing herself up. "I want this, I really do. I just- before, my last wedding... There was nothing like this - no planning, no guest lists..." She sighed, flipping over so her head was in his lap. "It's a lot more stressful this way. But I want this. I want you."

Percy continued running his fingers through her hair, his other hand resting on her stomach. "I'm sorry about my mother. Know that no matter what, this wedding is ours. If there's something you don't want, just say so." 

Vex looked up at him. "...What do you want?" she asked him. "We haven't really discussed what you want from our wedding."

"I haven't thought about it," he said, shrugging. "But know that I'm not picky. I want you to be happy, and I want you to enjoy yourself. I don't want you to dread our wedding because of a decision that was made without your approval."

Vex hummed softly. "I do love your family,” she murmured. "And I love you. Come here, I want to kiss you." She made no effort to move, just pursed her lips at him.

"Vex," he scoffed, and she chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "You're really in an inconvenient position right now, you are aware?"

"You're flexible, aren't you?" she teased, scooting up slightly so he wouldn't have to bend as far.

"Not as flexible as you, you well know," he replied, leaning down to place a chaste kiss on her lips.

Vex smiled against his lips. "I love you anyway," she murmured, leaning up as he pulled away so she could kiss him again. She also laced her fingers into his, squeezing gently.

Percy hummed in agreement and held her close, one hand intertwined with hers, the other cupping her head, running his thumb over her ear. He broke away to catch a quick breath, and she smiled at him, kissing his chin as she sat up more, then each of his cheeks, then capturing his lips again, pulling herself up to him with her free hand.

Percy wrapped her arms around her and held her close, just kissing her lovingly. Vex pulled away to catch her own breath, but kept their foreheads pressed together. "Do you have to go back to work today?" she mumbled.

"I probably should," Percy admitted, closing his eyes and breathing hard, his exhalations warm against her lips. "But I’ve already taken a long lunch and, considering how much work I got done this morning, I'll probably end up leaving early anyway. So I could potentially be persuaded to duck out for half the day."

Vex smiled softly. "Well, I'm not going to overly persuade you because my uterus is hating me, but I can do kisses."

"Kisses and cuddling are fine by me," Percy said, pulling away with a fond look on his face. "Especially if it might help distract you a bit."

Vex just gave him a smile, and cupped his face in her hands before going back for more kisses. 

She was thoroughly distracted from her worries about the wedding until they were laying in bed that night.

It was a lot to take in, and her mind was drifting back to Saundor more often than not. He was someone she actively avoided thinking about, but she couldn't help but compare the differences. 

She nuzzled against Percy and let out a long sigh, and she felt his arm tighten slightly around her. 

"Vex? Everything all right?" Percy asked, voice groggy.

Vex hummed noncommittally and threw her arm across his waist, pulling herself closer to him. 

"Is that a no?" Percy asked, and Vex shrugged, pillowing her head on top of his chest. "Just thinking," she murmured.

Percy started gently rubbing her shoulders with his hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asked. 

Vex shrugged slightly. "It's nothing big, just... Mind racing too much. Yknow?"

"I do," Percy agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "So if you don't want to talk I won't push it."

Vex hummed softly. "And that's why I love you, darling,” she murmured, shifting slightly to get more comfortable against him. 

"What, it isn't my dashing good looks and incredible personality? I'm almost offended," Percy teased softly, and Vex couldn't help but chuckle, his words helping her feel at least a little lighter.  
"That's part of it," she relented, exhaling deeply as she tried to let herself relax, focusing on Percy's steady heartbeat beneath her cheek. "But I love you for all of it, if I'm honest."

Percy chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest. "I love you too, Vex. My heart is yours, and you are the future that I have chosen,” he murmured. 

Vex let a small smile creep onto her face. "And you're mine,” she whispered back, closing her eyes and letting the comforting sound of Percy's heartbeat lull her to sleep. 

_She was lounging on the couch in the apartment, just reading a book, when she heard the door open. "Welcome home!" she called out, closing the book and getting up, expecting to see Percy coming around the corner._

_"Is that all you'll say after so long apart?" A voice that was painfully familiar and decidedly_ not _Percy's came through the door and Vex felt a lance of fear stab through her as she tried to push herself up and away from the door._

_A figure rounded the corner and gave her a large, feral smile. He had long black hair and tanned brown skin that had always reminded her of the bark of a tree. In his left hand he held a knife, just casually playing with it in his fingers._

_"You're not supposed to be here," Vex mumbled, taking a step back. "What did you do with Percy? Where is he?"_

_"Oh, he's perfectly fine." Saundor gave her a grin. "Realized how much of a worthless slut you are and gave me the door code so I could pay you a visit. You see, you could never run from me forever. You knew I'd find you." He stepped forwards into the room, still casually playing with the knife._

_"No," Vex denied, but she couldn't muster up much strength behind the word. "He wouldn't. He's not- not like that." She backed up more, her back hitting the wall, and her breath caught in her chest, wrapping her arms around herself as if it could somehow dissuade him._

_"If he wasn't, he wouldn't have left you like this." Saundor purred, pushing up into her space and against the wall, pinning her there. He traced the blade of the knife down the curve of her jaw and down her neck. "You're so beautiful, knowing you're about to die for what you did."_

_Words wouldn't come, but Vex shook her head as much as she dared, feeling paralyzed by his proximity, by the feeling of the cool flat of the blade resting on her collarbone, the edge pressing into the skin on her neck._

_"Oh c'mon Vex, baby, nothing to say?" He cooed at her, lowering his face until it was inches from her. "Nothing to say to me, my little wild hearted doe?" He leaned in, murmuring the old nickname against her cheek as the knife dipped lower, cutting through her shirt until the tip was resting just above her heart._

_"Don't call me that," she snapped, but then she couldn't help wincing, holding her breath as he gritted his teeth in front of her, turning the blade so the point was positioned between two of her ribs._

_"You know, I always liked you better when you had a little fight," he growled, grabbing her face and kissing her roughly as he jammed the blade deep into her chest._

_Time slowed to a crawl as the cool metal sunk into her chest, piercing through each layer of skin, through her lung, until it reached her heart, slicing the muscle as it tried frantically to beat. Vex's body instinctively inhaled sharply, but it was cut short by his lips on hers and his knife in her chest and his weight on her chest and legs. She struggled, and with some renewed strength, broke free, pushing him off of her as her head started to swim._

_Saundor just laughed, and reached down to rip the knife out of her chest as she collapsed to the ground, blackness starting to overwhelm her. "One more for the road." He grinned, kissing her once more as the last breath left her body in a scream._

Vex bolted upright in bed, the scream echoing through the room as she gasped for breath, feeling disoriented. She heard Trinket barking, and just shook as she gasped for air, her heart frantically pounding in her chest.

"Vex? You alright?" His voice came from right beside her, but it had to be a trick. A sharp pain raced through her chest as she tried to draw air in, but when she couldn't and a hand found its way to her knee she scuttled backwards.

Vex curled into a ball, holding her head in her hands as she tried to breathe, her entire body shaking. She felt a weight shift next to her, before the bed dipped and she felt a cold nose against her, Trinket whining softly and trying to calm her. 

"Vex, darling, it's me," Percy murmured. "I'm right here."

"No..." She whimpered, tears streaming down her face now.

"Hey, it's alright," came his voice again, and Vex shook her head. 

"No, stop it. He said you- go away!" Her voice rose to a shout as the air in her lungs ran out, and she gasped again, clutching at her chest and trying to suck in some oxygen.

"Vex, you had a nightmare," Percy murmured, keeping his voice calm and steady. "Whatever happened, it wasn't real. I'm right here, but if you need space, I'll leave. Just know that what happened wasn't real." 

Trinket turned and put himself in front of Vex, growling protectively as she shouted at Percy.

"You sick fuck!" Vex tried to scream, but it came out strangled as she felt her vision start to grey out at the edges. To say it wasn't real, to prolong the inevitable... Her arms and shoulders were shaking, and she felt another sob well up and get trapped in her throat, like there was a traffic jam in her lungs.

Trinket's growl got louder, and Percy got off the bed. "Vex, darling, I promise whatever happened wasn't real,” he murmured. "But if me being here is making this worse... I'll still be here, right in the other room. If you need anything, let me know." 

He backed away as Trinket’s growling grew louder, escalating into a warning bark.

"Trinket," Vex gasped out, trying to reach out for him, her vision still dark even as she managed to open her eyes. "Trinket, please-" She heard a door close and she flinched, drawing back again, but then she felt Trinket's fur beneath her fingers and latched onto him, even as he clambered up on her lap, licking at the side of her face.

Trinket pressed against her, and Vex just held onto him tightly, sobbing into his fur. She could barely breathe and she still felt the press of the knife against her skin. She felt alone, and violated, and everything hurt. Trinket whimpered softly, continuing to lick her and press against her, trying to calm her down.

"Fuck," Vex whimpered, feeling her chest seize again, and she tried to find Trinket's heartbeat to ground herself. "Fucking hell." She clutched at her chest, where the knife had been, but there was no cut, not even a scar, and she started crying again, tears hot on her cheeks as she tried to calm herself.

Trinket was a solid, comforting weight against her, and it took what felt like hours, but eventually she was able to breathe again. She felt exhausted, but couldn't go back to sleep, not to that again. She could still feel the tendrils of the panic attack on the edge of her thoughts, but she was calm enough to realize that she had screamed at Percy, blamed him for something he hadn't done. Screamed enough that Trinket was on the verge of defending her against him.

That thought only made her feel worse, and Vex shuddered as a wave of nausea surged through her stomach, tying her intestines in knots. In her daze nothing had been clear, and she took a deep breath, trying to dissuade another panic attack before it got too bad. Her head pounded with an ache to rival that in her chest, but she managed to relax at least that much. She swung her legs over the bed, wanting to stand, but as soon as she tried to put weight on them she fell back onto the bed, her legs shaking just as much as her arms. "Percy?" she called hoarsely, trying to remember what he'd said he'd do. 

He said he was going to leave, but had he said how far, or where?

It was only a few moments before the door was opening. "I'm right here,” he murmured, looking into the bedroom, but not approaching yet. He was still half dressed, but wearing his glasses now. "What do you need, darling?"

Heat rushed to her eyes at the string wave of relief she felt at the sight of him, and for a moment she couldn't find her voice. 

He was still there. 

He hadn't gone. 

He was still there.

"Water?" she suggested, wiping hurriedly at her eyes as he nodded, rushing out of the room again.

Percy returned moments later with a glass of water, sitting next to her on the bed. He didn't touch her, clearly waiting for permission for that, but he held the glass out. "Sit up, you don't want to choke,” he murmured, keeping his voice calm and steady. She didn’t understand how he was doing that, considering the fact that she had basically screamed him out of the room.

She followed his instructions, sitting up as best she could, and felt another rush of tears well up behind her eyelids as she tried to swallow them away. "Thank you," she whispered, taking the water from him and holding the cool glass in her hands, the smooth surface grounding. She wanted to say she was sorry, but the words stuck in her throat and so she took a sip of water instead.

"Of course," Percy murmured, his voice low and gentle. His fingers twitched slightly, but he still didn't touch, giving her space. "Is there anything else I can do?" he asked, voice calm and gentle.

Vex shrugged, gesturing vaguely to the bed beside her. She wasn't sure if she wanted his affections or if she wanted to avoid him at all costs for the moment, but having the option there was gratifying, and as he nodded, standing silently and moving to the other side of the bed, she found herself able to take another deep breath, followed by a sip of the water.

Trinket growled softly at Percy as he got back into his side of the bed, but Vex shook her head. "It's all right, Trinket. He didn't hurt me,” she murmured. "It's okay." 

Trinket gave Percy a long look before backing down, still staying close to Vex. 

Vex let out a breath before laying back against the headboard, looking at him. He looked so worried, so concerned... How could she think he would ever do something like that to her? Her breath hitched and a fresh wave of tears fell, and she tried to rub them away.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, sipping the water as the pain in her head and lungs spiked, her hand doing little to wipe away the rest of the tears that streamed down her cheeks. "You- I didn't mean to yell, but everything was so jumbled…” A sob hitched in her chest, and she shook her head at Trinket when he whined, trying to nudge at her leg. "It's alright, buddy," she murmured, scratching his head as she tried again to regulate her breathing. Everything came easier once the images and feelings of the dream had started to fade away.

"It's okay," Percy murmured. "I know you don't like feeling trapped when you're lost in those memories. I'm sorry for whatever happened, but I'm here, however you need me, I'm here,” he assured her. 

Vex swallowed hard and nodded, finishing the glass and setting it down on the bedside table. "...Will you hold my hand?" she asked, voice scratchy and hoarse. She wanted contact, but she didn't want him to hold her. That would be a little too much for now.

"Of course," Percy breathed, extending one of his hands. She reached out and placed her fingers over his. He curled his fingers so his thumb could start running over her knuckles, though his grip was loose enough for her to pull away if necessary. Vex held onto him tightly, willing the worry in her chest away.

She let out a long breath, watching their hands. His pale skin against her tanned hand, contrasting sure, but not like her and... she wouldn't let herself even think his name right now. A fresh wave of tears welled up. This was definitely the worst Percy had ever witnessed of her. "...I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'm sorry for losing it like I did..."

"It's okay," Percy murmured, tightening his hold on her hand in reassurance. "We all have bad dreams, and I'm not going to condemn you for them. Gods know I've had plenty of my own."

Vex swallowed hard before leaning over, resting her head against his shoulder. "...I love you," she whispered softly.

"I love you too, dear," Percy replied, pressing a kiss on top of her head. "And I'll do my best to keep your demons away, yeah?"

Hearing him say those words just made her burst into tears all over again, and she didn't say anything else, holding his hand tightly and crying into his shoulder.

Sleep didn’t come to her that night. She didn’t want to revisit that hell. Percy’s eyes had slid shut after a little while, though, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm; so she watched him instead. His face was relaxed, lips parted as he breathed. Their hands were still holding each other, and Vex couldn’t bring herself to pull away.


	3. Caring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Hey, it's alright," Percy interrupted, kissing her lips to deafen her protests. "Like I said yesterday, we were ahead, and I haven't had any reason to take vacation days in years, not until now." He ran his fingers through her hair, undoing the tangles as he found them.. "You’re worth it, dear. Let me take care of you."

Percy woke up the next morning to his usual alarm, and he instinctively shut it off, groaning as he turned over, his arm under Vex's back. She was curled up into a ball next to him, and like a wave breaking on the shore, the memory of the previous night returned to him in a swell of emotion.

He remembered waking up to a truly terrifying scream from beside him and trying to comfort Vex, only for her to push him away. Percy had left at Trinket's growls, and he'd spent the next hour or so pacing the living room, trying to calm himself. Logically he knew she had been stuck in the throes of an intense panic attack, but he hadn't been sure how to help. While he clung to those close to him in those moments, she pushed away. Percy didn't doubt it was the result of her being so hurt before, with only herself and Trinket to rely on, but he... He needed the people in his life close to him.

So much had changed since his last relationship, but he still felt that need to cling on to everything he had. Walking away from Vex the previous night had been one of the hardest things he'd had to do, if only because he couldn't help comparing his situation to hers.

But he had to remember that she was different, that Saundor had doted on her, kept her close and under his thumb instead of barely giving anything at all, had demanded more instead of drifting away... He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to brush away those memories. Today would be for him and Vex - especially for her.

He let out a soft sigh, at least thankful that he had done the right thing by leaving the previous night. Despite everything, he knew that when it came down to it, Vex's needs came before his. She hadn't had much in life, and he had been handed everything. It was the least he could do to ensure she was taken care of.

Vex stirred and looked at him, her eyes still red and swollen. The bags under her eyes clearly showed that she hadn't slept, even though he had drifted back off once Vex’s sobs had calmed down. He felt guilty, leaving her alone to her thoughts all night while he slept, and he leaned in to place a gentle kiss to her forehead.

"Have a good day at work," she whispered, voice hoarse.

"I'm not going today," Percy murmured softly, his heart aching in his chest as he looked at how worn and exhausted she was. "I'm going to stay home and take care of you today, okay?" He gently brushed some of her hair behind her ear, before cupping her cheek against his palm.

"You don't need to do that," she muttered, shaking her head and reaching up to pull his hand away. "No, you already skipped work yesterday afternoon for me, don't do it again-"

"Hey, it's alright," Percy interrupted, kissing her lips to deafen her protests. "Like I said yesterday, we were ahead, and I haven't had any reason to take vacation days in years, not until now." He ran his fingers through her hair, undoing the tangles as he found them.. "You’re worth it, dear. Let me take care of you."

Vex closed her eyes as he ran his fingers through the dark locks, opening them again when his fingers slowed, settling on her jawline. She looked at him, quiet, but then she ducked her head and pressed it against his chest. "Only if you're sure..."

"I'm certain," Percy replied, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "Whatever you need today is yours."

Vex sniffled softly, and Percy's heart ached. He hated hearing her cry, and knowing there wasn't much he could do about it didn't help. But he would do his best to make today better, and take care of her the way she deserved to be taken care of.

"Unfortunately I do have to let them know I'll be out," Percy murmured, kissing her cheek as he pulled back. "Let me call my father, and I'll be back in a few. Do you want something while I'm up?"

"Another glass of water would be nice," Vex murmured, rubbing the heel of her hand against her eyes.

"Done," he replied, kissing her forehead again before pulling his arm out from under her, yawning as he reached over to grab his phone. Vex grumbled at the loss of his presence as she lifted her torso to allow him his arm back, pulling his pillow into her arms as he stepped away from the bed. Percy chuckled at the sight, grabbing his phone and slipping out the door.

Once he was in the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water and making sure Trinket got his breakfast, he dialed his father's number and pressed it to his ear, listening to the ringing as he waited for him to pick up.

"Hello Percival, what merits a phone call this early in the morning?" Frederick asked once he picked up the phone. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine, but Vex had a rough night," Percy said, leaning against the counter. "I'm going to take a day off today, if there’s nothing that requires my immediate attention."

"Is there ever a day where there isn’t something?” Frederick chuckled. “But, as far as I am aware, nothing urgent is happening today. Does she need anything? I'll arrange for a doctor to be sent over if she needs it. I know your friend Dr. Trickfoot is on call tod-”

"No, no - nothing like that," Percy assured him, glancing down as Trinket butted his head against his leg. "Restless sleep, and some stress - nothing a day of relaxation shouldn't be able to cure."

"All right, if you're certain,” Frederick said, voice still concerned. "But let me or your mother know if either of you need anything."

"I will," Percy promised. "And don’t worry, I'll be in tomorrow."

"Sounds good to me. Just do me a favor and email me the spreadsheets from yesterday when you get a moment.”

"I will," Percy affirmed. “Thank you.”

“Of course. Give Vex my love."

"I will," Percy replied before hanging up the phone, scratching Trinket behind the ears. "...I'm glad you aren't still upset at me,” he murmured to the dog.

Trinket huffed at him, and twisted his head beneath Percy’s fingers, licking his wrist. Percy chuckled, and patted him again. "I'm taking care of your mom today," he murmured. "Hopefully she feels a bit better this morning, yeah?" 

Trinket barked in agreement, and Percy grabbed Vex's water, heading back into the bedroom.

Vex was still cuddling his pillow, but looked up when he entered the room again. "Thanks," she mumbled, sitting up and taking the glass, sipping at the water.

"Of course." Percy replied, getting back into bed next to her, gently taking his pillow back and putting it behind himself so he wasn’t just leaning against the headboard. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Vex admitted, leaning into him once the pillow was gone.

"That's good to hear," he said, kissing her head again as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently rubbing the bare skin with his thumb. "And, as I suspected, there was no trouble with me getting off work today. I'm here for you."

Vex hummed, and took a sip of the water, her eyelids fluttering closed as she matched his breath.

"Do you want to go back to sleep for a while?" he asked, combing his fingers through her hair.

"No," Vex murmured softly. "It's... Still too fresh."

"That's all right." Percy murmured, continuing to play with her hair, a spike of worry throbbing in his chest. Vex had her moments when she was clearly thinking of moments from her past, but something like this… he hadn’t quite seen her this raw before. It broke his heart.

Vex let out a long sigh. "I just want to cuddle,” she decided. "And I don't want to leave the apartment."

"I think we can manage that," Percy said. "I guess it's just luck that we went grocery shopping the other day, huh?"

Vex nodded in agreement. "Maybe we could have a nice breakfast too? It feels like ages since we've had breakfast together."

"Of course. Whatever you'd like, we can make." Percy gave her a smile.

"Something simple, but nice. Eggs, bacon...Maybe some pancakes too." Vex leaned against him, her fingers twisting and untwisting the blankets.

"Colored pancakes?" Percy suggested, and Vex smiled. Percy didn’t think he could accurately describe the relief he felt when he saw her lips curling upwards.

"Would we make any other kind?" She asked, voice a little lighter than it had been previously.

"Nothing but the best for you, my Lady," Percy murmured, keeping his tone light and genuinely happy that she felt better enough quip at him, and the two of them chuckled together.

"We should try to make teal pancakes," Vex suggested with a scoff. "Maybe if we perfect the color we could serve them at the reception."

Percy chuckled, gently bopping her nose with a finger. "Nothing stressful today," he murmured. "The only thing you’re allowed to think about is how happy you’ll be on the actual day. No colors, no guest list, nothing today. Okay?"

"Sounds wonderful," Vex said with a sigh, finishing the water and leaning away to set the glass aside so she could curl into his side further. "I don't even want to think about anything until we have a date."

"And that is a discussion for another day," Percy replied, turning onto his side so he could wrap her fully in his arms, tucking his chin against the top of her head.

"Agreed," Vex mumbled against his neck, and he felt her lips press a gentle kiss to the skin there. He replied with a kiss of his own to the top of her head.

"Well, that sounds like a good plan for this morning," Percy murmured, rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "Shall we play the rest of the day by ear?"

"Mhm," Vex hummed in agreement, and the two of them cuddled for a while, until Vex's stomach growled loudly.

"Time for breakfast." Percy smiled softly, kissing her forehead before they untangled themselves from each other. "You just relax, I'll take care of everything."

"That sounds lovely," Vex murmured. "But send Trinket in here to keep me company, alright? I want cuddles from both of my boys this morning."

"Of course." Percy smiled, getting out of bed and letting Trinket into the room before going to start cooking breakfast. Before he started, Percy made sure to email the requested spreadsheets to his father, so he wouldn’t forget later on.

He made two plates of eggs, bacon, and bright red velvet pancakes with homemade cream cheese icing on top and brought them back to the room. "Your breakfast, my Lady." He said with a grin, handing her the plate with a bow and flourish.

"Oh, wow, Percy," Vex murmured, eyes wide. "Those look gorgeous. No, down, Trinket!" she exclaimed, encouraging him off the bed as the dog immediately tried to shove his face into the food, curious. "Not for you, sorry!"

Trinket whined unhappily as he was pushed away, but obediently jumped off the bed, and Percy laughed as he carefully climbed onto the bed, setting one plate on her lap, the other on his own.

Vex looked down at the food before over at Percy. "I swear, you outdo yourself every time." She smiled, digging into the pancakes first.

"They're red velvet," Percy said. "What do you think?"

She carefully cut a bite and put it in her mouth as he watched, and he grinned as her lips curled into a smile. "They are delicious, darling," she murmured, leaning over to kiss him, and he tasted his creation on her lips, which probably shouldn't have been as hot as it was. Percy smiled into the kiss, and deepened it slightly, just to chase that taste.

Vex laughed as they broke apart. "Hey, you have your own plate," she teased, a light blush on her cheeks.

"But this is so much more fun," Percy protested, kissing her again, only stopping when Vex bopped his nose, leaving a smear of cream cheese frosting on it. "Hey!" he exclaimed, pulling away with a laugh. "Not fair!"

"You're not fair," Vex scoffed, rolling her eyes even though a light smile remained on her lips. "Let's eat our pancakes before they get cold, though."

Percy chuckled and wiped the cream cheese off with his finger, and they settled down to enjoy their breakfast together.

Once they finished, Percy took their plates and set them off to the side. "So, what is your desire now, my Lady?"

"Shitty television shows and cuddles on the couch," Vex replied. "If that's all right?"

"Sounds perfect," Percy said, kissing her again. "Any preferences for which shitty TV show, or should we just flip through the channels?"

Vex shrugged. "Anything we can make fun of is good with me, if it's good with you. Is there something ridiculous you'd like to watch?"

"Hmm... Usually whatever is on TLC warrants a good “make fun of shitty shows” time,” he pointed out, getting up. "C’mon, let's go get settled." He held out his hand to Vex.

"Thank you, darling," Vex said, taking it and sliding off the bed, grabbing the glasses on the nightstand as he gathered up their plates and silverware, following her out of the room and into the kitchen. They dropped off the dishes in the dishwasher and Percy sent Vex over to the living room while he mixed up some alcohol-light mimosas before joining her in the living room.

Vex took the mimosa and settled in Percy's lap once he sat down, turning the television on. After about an hour of bad TV, Percy felt Vex's breathing slow and glanced down, noticing that she had fallen asleep against his chest.

He turned down the volume so it wouldn't wake her, and adjusted her position so she wouldn't be too stiff when she woke up. She deserved a bit more sleep. Switching the channel to a show on the history channel about forging swords, Percy watched it for a little while before his phone chimed, signaling a new message to his personal email.

Percy picked it up, careful not to disturb Vex, who was sleeping soundly against him. He opened his email and read the message, one from his father. ‘Percival, thank you for the spreadsheets. I know you aren't in today but something came up, and I need you at a meeting at 9am sharp tomorrow. Will you be there?’

Frowning, Percy replied, ‘I should be. Vex is doing much better already, and she should be fine by tomorrow. Is this meeting something I should prepare for?’

‘Good, I'm glad to hear it. No, just be there. There's nothing you need to prepare.’

‘Thank you for letting me know. I will be there.’ 

Percy sent the email and sighed, confused. They didn't have anything big coming up in the next couple weeks - so what was the meeting about? He was tempted to ask Julius or Vesper if something was going on that he should know about, but at that moment Vex stirred, curling into his thigh.

"Mmm..." she mumbled sleepily. "What're we watching?" Her voice was thick with sleep, and Percy just started petting her hair gently.

"Forged in Steel," Percy said, gesturing to the TV, where they'd just come back from a commercial break. "They have specifications to make a particular weapon, and they get judged on how well their weapons work."

"So, Chopped for nerds?" Vex asked.

"Basically," Percy said with a chuckle.

Vex chuckled and pressed a kiss to his thigh. "That's okay, I love you, nerdiness and all."

"I love you too," Percy said, continuing to play with her hair as they continued to watch the show. "I can change it, if you want."

"'s fine. I'm gonna close my eyes again," Vex mumbled.

"You do that," he murmured, running his fingers through her hair. "Sleep is good."

"It is," Vex agreed, reaching up to grab his free hand and pull it to her chest. "And your leg is comfortable."

"I'm glad it is." Percy chuckled. He currently couldn't feel his leg, but he wasn't going to say anything. Vex needed the sleep. Instead, he rest his hand against her chest, feeling her heartbeat.

Vex hummed happily, placing her palm over the back of his hand and lacing their fingers together. Percy watched as she started to relax again, and was happy to see that the smile stayed on her face even as she drifted off to sleep, her breathing quickly evening out. It was good to see her so at peace.

Percy watched her, and a sudden memory of being in a similar place in another lifetime, laying in _her_ lap while she played with his hair.

 _"That was amazing, Percival."_ He heard her voice. _"Thank you for that."_

Inhaling sharply, Percy tried to banish away the memory, but the parallels were too strong.

_"Do you want me to do it again?" his past self asked, looking up at her sharp features._

_"Another time, perhaps." She gave him a smile, her nails gently scratching his scalp and sending shivers down his spine. "You're a very good boy, you know, but we have to be careful. Your parents will be home soon."_

_"I didn't realize it was so late," he murmured, looking over at the clock on the wall. "But I'm glad I could help you today, even though you're meant to be helping me."_

_"Of course, darling boy."_

_She smiled, hoisting him off her lap. "We're here to help each other, are we not?" she asked, before fisting a hand in his hair and pressing a hungry kiss to his lips._

_At first he hummed in agreement, but when she held him there long enough that he ran out of breath he tried to pull away from her. She only redoubled her grip on his shirt and pulled him closer, taking one last, prolonged kiss from him._

Percy shook his head, breathing a little faster and looking at Vex, feeling her heartbeat underneath his palm. No, Vex wasn't her. She was gone; he needed to leave her in the past where she belonged.

He let out a shaking breath, and just watched Vex sleep, trying to push the memories away.

He felt Vex's heartbeat beneath his fingers, strong and insistent. She was here, and she wouldn't leave unless he messed something up. Vex was the best thing that had happened to him and here she was. Despite everything that had happened, all the mistakes he had made when their relationship had just started, she was still here, by his side.

They would heal together, no matter how long it took, and no number of unpleasant memories would be enough to take that away from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, dancer and I hadn't quite realized how long it had been since we've updated here. Sorry guys! We've been writing tons, both together and separately, and life has been busy for both of us.
> 
> We have written a ton for this verse, though!
> 
> ALSO, the amazing [mcflavio101](http://mcflavio101.tumblr.com) did this amazing piece of fanart that made both dancer and I amazingly happy.


	4. The Board

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He walked through the lobby, giving a smile and nod to Trish, who manned the front desk, and ran his keycard to allow himself into the elevator. He made his way to his own office first to set his things down and make sure there weren't any urgent emails requiring his attention before he went down to the conference room, arriving right on time. 
> 
> Inside, to his surprise, was the entirety of the board. His father was at the head of the table, and Julius, Vesper, Yennen, Uriel Tal'dorei, and Jarrett were all chatting quietly, though they fell silent when he walked in. Percy felt his heart beat faster in his chest.

Percy woke the next morning to his alarm, set earlier than it usually was to ensure he was at the office in time for the meeting his father had messaged him about. Vex grumbled, burying her face into her pillow, and Percy gently stroked her bare shoulder with his fingers. "Everything all right?" he asked softly. He couldn't help but worry that despite his efforts the previous day, her sleep still hadn't been restful. 

"Mhm," Vex grunted back at him, and Percy couldn't help but laugh softly, leaning over to press a kiss to her shoulder.

"Don't go, it's cold without you," Vex mumbled into her pillow, and Percy chuckled again, making sure she was covered with the duvet before he pulled away. "Just five more minutes?" Vex pleaded, turning to look at him and pulling the blankets up to her chin. 

"I've got to get to my meeting, but we can cuddle later today," Percy said with a smile. "You can stay in bed longer - shall I get Trinket to come give you some company?"

"Yes please," Vex replied, and Percy leaned down to kiss her before opening the bedroom door so Trinket could come in, heading straight for the bed to cuddle with Vex. He got dressed, pulling on one of his better suits. His gut told him that looking nice today was important, and he tamed his hair as best he could.

Percy made himself a couple eggs before clearing up and calling a car to bring him to the office, and the whole ride there was spent wondering why there was something special going on. Did they have a new system that needed to be started? Were they nearing completion of a particularly long job? Nothing came to mind, and Percy, as an accountant, had little to do with that side of things anyway, so by the time the town car had pulled up in front of the office he had no more solid an idea of what they would be discussing than he'd had the previous day.

He walked through the lobby, giving a smile and nod to Trish, who manned the front desk, and ran his keycard to allow himself into the elevator. He made his way to his own office first to set his things down and make sure there weren't any urgent emails requiring his attention before he went down to the conference room, arriving right on time. 

Inside, to his surprise, was the entirety of the board. His father was at the head of the table, and Julius, Vesper, Yennen, Uriel Tal'dorei, and Jarrett were all chatting quietly, though they fell silent when he walked in. Percy felt his heart beat faster in his chest.

Had he done something wrong? Something that required the entire board present?

"Sit down, Percival," Frederick said, gesturing to an empty seat at the end of the table. "I'm glad you could join us." 

Percy swallowed hard, forcing himself to step forward, uncomfortable with everyone's gazes on him. He happened to look up at Vesper, who smiled at him and nodded, which made the knot in his chest loosen somewhat, but he still didn't know what was going on, and he took his seat gingerly, straightening his shoulders as he did so.

Frederick leaned forwards on the table, steepling his fingers together as he looked at Percy. His eyes were the same piercing blue that all the de Rolos had, and it only made Percy feel even more uncomfortable. "Now that we're all here, we can begin." Fredrick said. "And first order of business, comes with discussing the matter at hand with Percival. The board voted last meeting to appoint you as the new member, since Tyleri had to step down for personal reasons," Frederick told him. "But we wanted to make sure it was a position you were interested in taking. There will be a lot of responsibility, and a lot of socializing and travelling."

Percy's first thought was shock, but he composed himself, and couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh of relief. Since Tyleri had taken an indefinite leave a couple of weeks prior, there had been no official head of accounting, which hadn’t been easy to coordinate. But now, the board was offering him the spot to replace Tyleri? 

"That- Thank you for considering me," Percy began, nodding and looking to the rest of the board members. Julius and Vesper were grinning, the both of them, and part of him wanted to be mad at them for making him worry. "I'm honored that I would be considered to fill this position."

"You're a hard worker Percival - you put so much into this company," Frederick replied. "And I know I can trust you to be honest with me. But,” his father kept his gaze neutral, “I also know that you're hesitant to travel too much. Just be aware that taking this position means that you will have more conferences and meetings to attend on Whitestone's behalf, and there won’t be any getting around that. If you take this position, that’s something I know you’ll have to consider.”

Percy hesitated, knowing that much of his aversion to travel came from a desire to be close to Vex. But he liked to think that she'd helped him work out his own abandonment issues, and she'd gotten better at letting him know when she'd be going out for an extended period of time. "May I consider the offer for a short while? A day or so?" Percy proposed, fidgeting with the cuffs of his sleeves below the table. "It is a decision I don't want to take lightly, and I would like to take the proper time to consider it."

"Of course, I'd expect nothing less," Frederick agreed. "It isn't a decision to make on a whim. I'll email you the contract, which details the full expectations and requirements of being a board member, as well as the pay raise and benefits included." 

"We would be honored to have you, Percival." Uriel nodded towards him. "But I agree with Frederick, it's a lot of work. And I know I speak for all of us here when I say we'd rather you be certain, and dedicate yourself to it, than uncertain and being unable to fully commit to your duties."

"Thank you," Percy murmured, nodding his head graciously. "I am thankful, and will let you know when I have made my decision." 

"That's all we ask," Frederick said, and as his lips turned up in a slight smile, Percy took a deep breath and let his shoulders relax.

"Was there anything else you needed?" Percy asked, scanning the rest of the board again and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Not for now," Frederick replied, giving him a nod of dismissal. "I want you to go home and think about the offer, since sitting in your office with this over your head won't help you be productive. Go home, speak with your fiancée, and I'll see you tomorrow." 

Percy nodded. "Thank you,” he replied, getting up from the chair and leaving the room, and the board, to the rest of their meeting. His father was right; he didn't think he could concentrate on crunching numbers with such a decision hanging over his head.

He walked back through the office, and back down the elevator, waving to Trish on his way out, but she hailed him. "Back out so soon?" she asked, sparing a moment to send a quick glare to one of the interns who was hurrying by with several coffees. "Make them get their own coffee, kid!" 

"Um, yes ma'am," the younger boy said, nodding furiously as he got into the elevator Percy had just left. 

"I've got a lot to think about," Percy admitted, running a hand through his hair, already wondering what he would say to Vex, and how things would work out. "A potential promotion, but there could be some other complications, so it's a tough decision." 

"Fair enough," Trish nodded, leaning back in her chair and crossing her well-muscled arms across her chest. Cassandra had always described Trish as "half-secretary, half-bodyguard", and Percy couldn't help but agree. "But congratulations, even if you decide not to take it. You've worked hard, Percival." 

"Thank you," Percy said, unable to keep the grin from his face. "I'll see you tomorrow, Trish." 

"Until then," Trish agreed with a smile of her own, leaning forward on her desk as he took his leave.

Percy started making his way home, deciding to walk instead of call for a car. His mind was churning, trying to figure out what he should do. On one hand, taking on more responsibility was appealing. He didn't much care for the increase in salary; he could more than support himself and Vex with what he had. On the other hand, traveling and taking on more responsibilities meant less time to spend with Vex, and that thought was completely unappealing. 

He let himself into the apartment when he got home, bracing himself for an excited Trinket, only to be greeted by an empty, quiet apartment.

"Trinket?" he called, doing his best to dampen the anxiety that welled up suddenly at the silence he faced. "Vex?" There was no answer, but Percy took a deep breath and shrugged off his coat, running his fingers through his hair. Perhaps she'd simply slept in a while, after the exhaustion of the previous day.

He made his way over to the bedroom, where the bed was neatly made, but empty. Percy took a deep breath, his hands shaking slightly, before checking Vex's studio. Her work bag was gone, and despite the hike in anxiety welling in his chest, his brain supplemented with a logical thought. Of course, she wasn't going to expect him home, he shouldn't expect her to be there. It was a pleasant day outside, and he knew that with winter coming up in a few months, she would be working as much as she could.

He glanced around the studio again, noting that she hadn't taken all of her supplies, and she'd left a good number of paintings she hadn't sold in a pile by the far wall. She'd be back; it would be fine.

Percy sighed and went back out to the living room, slipping his phone out of his pocket as he collapsed on the couch. He checked the time - it would still be an hour and a half or so until he'd be hungry enough for lunch, but perhaps he would be able to sort through some things on his own in the meantime.

Staring at the blank screen of the television, Percy tried to muddle through his thoughts, but found himself bouncing his leg, then fidgeting with his sleeve, until he finally stood up. His mind was too busy to think without something to occupy his hands. 

Going to his bedroom he changed into a more comfortable shirt and splashed some water on his face, examining his reflection in the mirror for a long moment before shaking his head and going out to his workshop, where he had a few watches he was working on putting together. He set a timer on his phone, so he wouldn’t miss Vex’s usual lunch time, and examined the small clock faces he’d been working on putting together. They weren’t perfect, and likely couldn’t tell time accurately yet, but they were his, and he was slowly and steadily making them better. The ticking of his creations around him and the feeling of gears and screws shifting under his fingers helped calm his thoughts somewhat, and Percy let the thoughts about his potential promotion percolate as he shifted the gears, sliding them into and out of place. 

He weighed the pros and cons again, trying to come to a decision, but each time he tried his heart reminded him that it wasn’t solely his to make. It was for Vex as well - for the both of them. 

Before he knew it, the alarm was going off and Percy sighed, tightening a final screw and setting aside his work, cleaning the grease off of his hands with a convenient rag before heading back into his bedroom to clean up a bit. 

He’d just have to see what she said about it, and hope that together they could come to an agreement. 

As he was getting ready to leave the apartment, he saw Trinket’s harness hanging on the wall, and grabbed it. He wasn’t certain what they were going to do for lunch, but he was starting to lean towards a nicer restaurant than the little ones he normally grabbed their lunches from. Most of them wouldn’t let Trinket lounge around without his harness and leash, so better safe than sorry.

He debated calling a town car, but decided it was probably better to just walk. He would spend the entire ride fidgeting anyways.

As he made his way into downtown Emon, he saw Vex in her normal spot, painting and smiling as she talked to the tourists. Her hair was up in a braided bun, and Trinket was dozing at her feet. As he got closer, Trinket perked up and wagged his tail, getting up and running over to greet Percy, rearing up on his hind legs so he could reach Percy’s face, licking it affectionately.

“Hello to you too.” Percy couldn’t help but laugh, scratching the fur around Trinket’s neck before coaxing him down.

Vex was laughing as well, some bright red paint smudged a little on her cheek. “Looks like Trinket missed you, darling,” she commented, leaning over for a kiss when Percy got closer. “Is everything all right? You aren’t dressed for work.”

“Oh, I suppose I’m not,” Percy said, looking back down at himself, and the casual button down he was wearing rather than his usual suit. Her keen observation just made the anxiety well in his chest again.

“Is everything all right?” she repeated, frowning when he hesitated. “You didn’t take another afternoon off of work for me, did you? I told you, I’m doing much better today.”

“I’m-” he floundered for a moment, and took the opportunity to pull Vex closer to the wall, away from the traffic on the street. “This slight leave of absence is for me, not for you. And it’s approved - my father told me to take a little time off. It’s all good.”

“Then why do you sound so nervous?” she asked, and Percy bit his lip. He loved Vex, but sometimes…

“Can I take you out for lunch?” he asked, his rumbling stomach providing a good excuse to put off the conversation. 

“Like, _out_ out?” Vex asked, raising an eyebrow. “I suppose I can pack up my things. But I don’t have Trinket’s harness, and I’m wearing my painting clothes-”

Percy held up the harness by way of explanation, and shrugged, his free hand tapping repeatedly on his thigh. “We can find a place that’s not too fancy. I just- I want to sit down and talk about this instead of out on the street,” he admitted.

Vex’s brow furrowed in worry at that. “Okay,” she said simply, reaching up to gently touch his cheek, brushing her thumb over his cheekbone before letting her hand drop. “I’ll start packing up, if you can wrestle Trinket into his harness for me.”

“Of course,” Percy replied, calling Trinket over and beginning to try and coax the massive dog into his harness. Trinket whined a little, used to being without it when he was with Vex here, but after about five minutes of wiggling and whining, Percy had the harness and leash successfully on the massive dog.

Vex had her backpack slung over her back, the painting she had been working on in her hand as it dried. “Did you have any particular place in mind?” she asked.

Percy nodded. “It’s not far,” he replied, and Vex reached over to take his hand as they walked down the street together.

Percy felt his heart pounding in his chest, and he tasted a little metallic flavor on his tongue. He felt Vex squeeze his hand gently as they walked. 

“You’re getting paler,” she told him. “Are you certain everything’s all right? You look like you’ve gotten some bad news.”

“It’s not, I promise,” Percy replied, squeezing her hand gently. “I just… don’t want to be in as public a space when we talk.”

“Is it regarding the business?” Vex asked, and Percy knew that trying to hide anything at all from Vex was a futile effort. She was too perceptive, and knew him and his tells far too well.

“Yes,” was his simple reply, and they continued walking until they reached a little restaurant that was a little higher class than most of the others they frequented, but wasn’t quite to the point that it had a dress code. The hostess gave Vex and Trinket a hesitant stare, but Percy’s name and the tip he gave her shut her up quickly, and they were seated in the outdoor area.

Once they were seated, a waitress took their drink orders. Percy ordered an extremely alcoholic cocktail, while Vex just got a soda.

When the waitress brought them their drinks, Percy took a long drink of the fruity concoction before sighing heavily, looking into the pink liquid. 

“...I was offered a promotion today,” he murmured to Vex.

“Oh, that’s wonderful!” Vex exclaimed, though the smile didn’t stick on her face. “What, is there something wrong with it? What does it entail?”

Percy chuckled despite himself at her questions, rubbing his thumb over the rim of his glass. “There’s nothing wrong with it, not really,” he tried to explain. “It’s an addendum to my previous responsibilities - it’s a position on the board, head of accounting.”

It felt like everything was spilling out of him in a stream, and he sipped at the drink, almost too sweet for his taste, to quell the flood of words that threatened to rush out his mouth. Vex waited patiently for him to finish, and he saw that her hand had, at some point, made its way across the table, as if itching to take his in it. 

“Again, there’s nothing wrong with it - I get a raise, I get more experience, and more sway in what the company does, but I don’t need the money, and the extra responsibilities…”

He trailed off again, shaking his head in frustration. “The extra responsibilities include more conferences, more travelling, and less time spent here.”

Vex’s face softened, and he was thankful for her in that moment. That he didn’t have to explain just how much even the thought of leaving for prolonged amounts of time caused his stomach to roll with anxiety, how the last time he had, everything had just gone to hell.

“Percy, darling,” Vex murmured, extending her fingers towards him, and Percy let himself press his palm against hers. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

“You know, I do enjoy travelling,” she told him. “And I haven’t done a lot of it since I came here. And I don’t have an actual job, with an actual schedule and people that depend on me to show up. I can go with you on these trips.”

Percy stared at her, dumbfounded. He hadn’t even considered that as an option, but now that Vex was pointing it out, he was amazed at himself for not realizing it.

“If the only thing bothering you about the promotion is the fact that you won’t be home as much, then that’s a perfectly valid feeling, but we can get around that.” She rubbed her thumb over the back of his hand. “If you think you’ll enjoy it, and that this is a move in a direction that you want to go, then you should take it. Besides, how many people can say they’re a member of a company board in their mid-twenties? It’s a pretty unique opportunity, if the average age of the people at your business parties are anything to go by.” She wrinkled her nose slightly, and Percy couldn’t stop the soft smile curling his lips.

“I- yes, I think that was the only hang-up I had,” Percy admitted, his stomach still twisting in apprehension, though the worst of it had gone away. He laughed nervously, and she squeezed his hand tighter, smiling at him. “I think I might still think about it, but that does…” He trailed off, chuckling again at his own stupidity. “That does make me feel better. I hadn’t even considered the fact that you could stay with me. I know it would take away from your painting-”

“I can paint anywhere, darling,” Vex pointed out. “It’s not like I have a gallery to maintain or anything. As long as I’m with you, as long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

The heightened anxiety eating away at his chest lowered to its usual murmur as she leaned forward, kissing his knuckles, and Vex winked, his expression apparently softening. 

Gods, he really did love her. 

“Thank you,” he murmured, only just loud enough for her to hear. 

“It was my pleasure, honestly,” Vex replied with another wink. “One of us has to be the rational thinker, after all. Though I still don’t know if I’d consider that to be me.”

Percy couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't know, you tend to fit together what my privileged ass doesn't tend to see." 

"You're learning," Vex chuckled, and the waitress returned to take their food orders. Percy just ordered a house salad, stomach too unsettled to have anything heavier, while Vex ordered a chicken sandwich, and a hamburger patty for Trinket. 

Percy felt much more relaxed as they ate, Vex having quelled most of his anxiety. He was still unsure, but he found that since the list of cons had been decreased, he was leaning towards taking the position. Besides, the extra money would be nice, if they decided to have children in the future.

He found himself staring at his glass for a long moment. Children? Where had that come from? 

He twisted his engagement ring around his finger, worrying it beneath his thumb. The two of them weren't even married, but he was already thinking of their future together. Even that was... So much farther than he'd even considered going with Her in the past. It was a pleasant realization, and he found himself smiling as he let himself picture a little boy or girl with Vex's hair and a de Rolo family bone structure running through their apartment.

"You have your sappy thoughts smile on your face again," Vex murmured, snapping him out of his train of thought. "What's on your mind?" 

"Just how happy I am that I get to have a future with you," he told her the half truth. They weren't even married yet, bringing up the possibility of children now was just too soon.

"You're such a sap," she teased, and he chuckled, winking as best he could. 

"You know it." 

"Good thing I love you anyway," she said, winking herself.

Percy chuckled, reaching over the top of the table to take her hand and press a kiss to her knuckles. "I love you too. So much,” he murmured. "And… I think I'm going to take the position."

"Good for you," she said, nodding, a proud smile on her face. "You absolutely deserve it, and I'm so proud of you."

Percy smiled. "Thank you, for helping me decide," he told her. "And for pulling me out of my ridiculous internal spiral, you should absolutely pick a dessert to celebrate."

"Ooooo," Vex murmured, playfully snatching up the dessert menu from the center of the table and flipping it open to peruse the options. "Oh, but what to pick... A trifle? A three layer chocolate cake sounds good, but so does fruit cobbler... Hmmm...." She absently sipped at her drink and finished off her sandwich, and Percy could see the gears turning in her head. 

"Would you like to order dessert?" asked their waiter as he returned. 

"Yes," Vex said before Percy could. "I think we'd like the... the Triple Chocolate Delight, please."

"An excellent choice, ma'am." The waiter smiled. "I'll be right back with it." 

"Thank you," Vex smiled, putting the menu back. The cake arrived shortly, with a small bowl of vanilla ice cream on the side.

"For your adorable pup," the waiter explained. "I have a husky at home that loves vanilla ice cream." At the sound of ice cream, Trinket perked up from where he had been lying next to Vex, wagging his tail excitedly.

The waiter chuckled, setting the bowl on the ground as Trinket held back, waiting until Vex gestured for him to approach before padding forward to lap up the ice cream. "Enjoy," the waiter said. "And I'll have your check for you when you're finished." 

"That looks pretty good," Percy remarked as the man left them again, taking in the dripping chocolate frosting. "You wouldn't mind if I tried a bite, would you?"

"Of course, darling. It's for us to share, after all." She took a piece onto the fork before offering it across the table to feed it to him. Percy felt a bolt of nausea flash through him, remembering Her doing the same thing a few times when they’d been out to dinner together, but pushed it down. This was Vex, after all, and judging by the flirtatious smile she wore, this was just being playful. He leaned over and took the bite, almost moaning at the rich taste

"You need to try it," he mumbled through the mouthful, and Vex laughed, obliging, and also humming in pleasure as the taste hit. 

"Mmm we need to come back here again sometime," she murmured, quickly taking another bite. 

"I think that can be arranged," Percy said, and smiled as she grinned at him, still chewing her mouthful of dessert, the tiniest smudge of paint still visible near her hairline. He'd do anything for her, as long as he could, and it was a fantastic feeling.

He took the second fork and helped himself to another bite of the cake. "...Why don't we go out on a nice date, something fun,” he suggested. Now that his mind was made up, he wanted to do something, and he wanted to keep that happy smile on Vex's face. "Maybe go to a play, or a roller rink, or something along those lines."

"You don't want to go back to work?" Vex asked, raising an eyebrow as she took another bite. 

"I told my father I'd take the afternoon off," Percy pointed out. "Who would I be to go back on my word?" Vex laughed. 

"Well, I'm not going to say no to an afternoon on the town. Is there anything good showing? I haven't roller skated in... gods, at least fifteen years, but that could be fun, I suppose."

Percy chuckled, pulling out his phone to look up what was going on in Emon that afternoon or evening. "Oh, there's a concert tonight. For a band called Chvrches?" 

Vex's eyes widened. "Really? I love that band!" 

Percy smiled, and started filling out the information to purchase tickets.

They finished their dessert, Trinket cleaning out the bowl that'd had his ice cream in it, and soon their check was paid and they were back out on the street, the air surprisingly cool for a summer day in Emon. Vex suggested they drop off her art supplies at the apartment and take Trinket on a walk through the park, since he hadn't really gone on one yet that day. Percy agreed, and after a quick stop back at their apartment he was walking beside Vex, their hands together, as they approached the park.

Trinket was off his leash and sniffing about, tail wagging happily as they walked. Vex smiled as she took a deep breath of the air, having changed out of her painting clothes and cleaned up while they were at the apartment. "It's such a lovely day." 

"Lovelier because I have you at my side," Percy flirted, and Vex hip checked him gently. 

"You're certainly in a mood today,” she teased him.

"It's been an interesting day," Percy admitted, "Though I can't bring myself to complain. Not when I've got so much going for me." The bubble of nerves in his chest and stomach had calmed until he could hardly feel them pulling at him, and it was a fantastic feeling. Vex was doing better, he had a new promotion, and he was living a life he’d thought, at one point, he'd never have, but here he was. It was liberating, and he impulsively leaned over and kissed Vex on the temple, squeezing her hand tightly as he did.

Vex smiled, turning to wrap her arms around his neck and lean in for a kiss, her lips warm and soft against his own. Percy smiled into the kiss, his hands on her waist, and kissed her forehead as they pulled apart. 

"It's wonderful to see you so happy." Vex murmured. 

Percy chuckled, and they broke apart, still holding hands as they continued their walk. "I have you to thank for that."

"I wouldn't be so presumptuous as to take all the credit," she murmured, but Percy shrugged, rubbing his thumb across the back of her knuckles. 

"You're the keystone of my life now," he murmured. "Without you... My life wouldn't be anywhere close to what it is."

"I know what you mean," Vex said, gently squeezing his hand. "Without you... Who knows where I'd be? Maybe I'd have given up on finding Vax here, and moved on to a new town, not realizing that I was leaving my brother and the love of my life behind. Maybe I'd be dead in a ditch somewhere. I certainly wouldn't be in a comfortable apartment, with everything I could ever need and more."

 _Everything I could ever need and more._

Well, that was certainly one way of putting it, and not one that Percy could argue with. Before he'd met Vex he'd been trying to recover from the dismissal of the only love he thought he'd known, but finding her and realizing just how much better life was with someone who loved you back? 

It was the difference between a drop of water and a thunderstorm, and Percy didn't think he'd ever been so happy to be caught in a downpour.


	5. Another Set of Twins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Yes, of course. I mean, I still have a lot of things to discuss with you and Vex, specifically the fact that you still don't have a date set, but that's not the reason for the call today. Ludwig and the twins are home, and Whitney is looking so beautiful! I'm calling to ask if you and Vex might be able to come over for dinner before you leave for that conference that you and Julius are attending - Vex hasn't even met the twins yet!"

The next day found Percy knocking on the door to his Father's office, trying to quell the butterflies in his stomach. He was more confident than he had been the previous day, but still. Taking on a promotion like this, especially at his age, was a lot to swallow, and he hoped he would be able to handle the position and all the responsibilities that came with it. 

"Come in!" the voice of Frederick's secretary answered, and Percy walked in. The dark skinned woman smiled at him as he approached. "Hello Percival, how are you doing this afternoon?" 

"Quite well, thank you, K'ryyn," Percy replied, doing his best not to stumble over her name. She tended to refer to herself as Kathryn when speaking with clients or setting up meetings, but Frederick had made a point to learn her actual name, and expected his children to give her the same respect. "Is my father in his office?"

"He is," she said, checking a schedule printout on her desk. "He doesn't have a meeting for another half hour, so I'm sure he'd have time to speak with you. Is this about the promotion?" 

Percy blinked at her. "I thought nobody else knew-" 

"I _might_ have asked why Frederick wanted to schedule such an exclusive meeting," she explained with a smirk. "But congratulations, either way. Would you like me to let him know you're here?" 

"That would be excellent, thank you," he affirmed, nodding, and she hummed for a moment, clicking something on her computer before turning to the paging system on her desk. 

"Mister de Rolo? Your son, Percival, is here to see you."

"Send him in," Frederick replied, and K'ryyn nodded, before letting the button go. 

"My father would be torn to shreds if he ever fired you, wouldn't he?" Percy commented, and she chuckled. 

"It's why he does his best to keep me happy,” she said with a wink. "Go on, he's waiting for you." 

Percy nodded, and opened the door to his Father's office, stepping inside and closing it behind him. Frederick was at his desk, flipping through some pages, but he looked up with a smile as Percy approached the desk. 

"How was your day yesterday?" he asked, setting his papers aside.

"Very good," Percy said. "It gave me the necessary time to consider the promotion, and I've made my decision." 

"And?" 

Percy took a deep breath. 

"I've decided to accept. I know that it will involve a lot more responsibility, but I'm prepared for that. Vex and I both are."

Frederick smiled, and got up from his desk, walking around to meet Percy. He clapped his hand onto Percy's shoulder. "I'm so proud of you, son,” he said, eyes warm as he looked over Percy's face. "And I'm so happy to have you on the Board. There's a lot that needs to be done, especially since, as I'm sure you're aware, accounting has been floundering since Tylieri's leave." 

"It has been," Percy agreed. "But thank you, for the opportunity."

"It was only what you deserved after all the work you've done for us, for this company. And we took time to make this decision - we know you will be able to help them get back on their feet and catch up to the rest of the company. Without leadership, budgeting has gone by the wayside, and some of our accountants have been, to put it delicately, slacking in their duties. Your guidance and leadership will be invaluable to picking up steam again." 

"I'll be happy to direct as needed," Percy said. 

"And then there's the matter of the conferences, of scoping out the competition and potential clients."

Percy nodded. It had been the aspect of the position he had been least looking forward to, but he would swallow his protests and listen. 

"There's a conference happening in Vasselheim in two weeks, focused mainly on networking, with all the big names in attendance. We might be one of Emon's biggest software development companies, but the people at this event are from the oldest, most popular companies. Sphinxes, Everlight, Vecna Industries - all the old names and some of the new are going to be there. You and Julius will attend, to see if we can’t begin to strike a deal or two. 

“Every company is bringing their newest software to display, which is, of course, Julius' job, but yours will be to do the networking, and see what we can get the ball rolling on." 

"Understood.” Percy nodded. 

"In the meantime, I want you to put together a list of our accountants, providing your honest opinion on who we can trust to start stepping up more, and who needs to be brought down. K'ryyn will make sure you have all the credentials you need to access the monthly reports."

"It might take a little while - I've kept mostly to myself," Percy admitted. "But I'll do my best. I can already think of a couple colleagues who might be deserving of better opportunities." 

"Excellent. I'll give you a few days to find your footing. Let me know if you have any questions, but, between the two of us, it won't be hard to be a better accounting manager than Tylieri."

Percy nodded. "I'll head to my desk and get started, then." 

Frederick laughed. "Go to your desk to pack up your things. Tylieri's old office is yours now, you know. I had K'ryyn give you one of her favorite trainees, so you should be all set to go." 

"Wait... I get a secretary too?" Percy asked, though he didn't realize why he was so surprised. Vesper and Julius had secretaries, it shouldn't have been such a shock that he would get one too. 

His father laughed again. "Of course. He will handle your scheduling, so you don't have to worry about it. Have a chat with him, lovely boy. Kynan I believe his name is?"

"I'll talk with him," Percy said. "Hang on- is he the blond from HR? He had an internship last summer, am I right?" The boy hadn't been too forgettable; he had delivered mail to the upper offices nearly every day. He'd been shy and scrawny back then, but eager to please. Percy had never talked directly to him, but he trusted K'ryyn's judgement if his father did. 

"That's the one," Frederick said with a nod. "I think you two will work well together, but again, let K'ryyn know if anything comes up, and she can help you out, or direct more pressing concerns to me." 

"Absolutely," Percy agreed. "I'll be sure to let you know how it goes."

Frederick clapped his hand on his back. "I have to get to a meeting soon, but get comfortable in your new office, I'll have K'ryyn email you everything you'll need to get into the computers in there, and the paperwork will be signed at the next board meeting to formally welcome you, and we should be all set to go after that. Congratulations, Percival. I am proud of you." Frederick gave him a warm smile.

"Thank you, Father," Percy said, lowering his gaze in deference, though he could feel his cheeks flush pink at the praise. "I won't let you down." 

"I trust you won't," Frederick said, and he turned back to his desk, dismissing Percy with a wave of his hand. 

It was a little surreal walking back into his old office to pack up his things and transfer them to Tylieri's old office - a spacious corner room with a view over downtown Emon. Percy could only remember entering this office a few times, and never in good circumstances. Tylieri had been particular about the accounting work, but never had the sense to check for errors himself, attributing every mistake to someone attempting to embezzle the company. 

Finally enough people has complained about his way of running things, especially after a particularly busy month where he'd driven two of their new hires away with his drivel, that Frederick had had no choice but to fire him. The respite they’d gained from his departure hadn’t all been good however, as there had been far less organization in the accounting department. People were slacking without him breathing down everyone's necks, and they needed to pick up the pace if they wanted to have things complete in time for the quarterly tax season, which was coming up shortly. 

Percy looked around the office, setting down the first box of things, and smiled, noting that he could see the spread of Emon State Park between the clusters of buildings outside his window. 

He could get used to this.

As he started unpacking and getting his things in order, he noticed that there were traces of glitter on and around the desk, and he couldn't hold back a snort, reminded of one particularly memorable day at the office. Tylieri had opened up a glitter bomb, courtesy of Vesper, as she had told him later, and had been livid for the rest of the week. The office had been thoroughly cleaned, but apparently the glitter hadn’t been entirely purged. He took a picture and texted it to Vesper. 

"Now I have to suffer because of your prank?"

"Oh my gods," Vesper shot back, along with a laughing emoji. "I didn't realize that would still be there, after all this time." 

Percy rolled his eyes, chuckling, and glanced down as he received another text. "Actually, that ingenuity was Cass's. She rigged it to explode when the door opened while I was out decorating his nameplate with that fabulous glitter glue." 

Percy laughed out loud, imagining his sisters sneaking into the building after hours to set things up. It had been a testament to just how much people had disliked Tylieri that the janitorial staff hadn't cleaned his nameplate before he'd arrived to work that morning. He was greeted at his office by a bedazzlement of his name and more glitter than could conceivably fit into one room at one time.

"While I will say he deserved it, I will forever blame you for any glitter I find on my suits,” he replied. 

"That's fair. But think of it this way, your office was pre decorated?" 

"I'm so grateful that Vex despises glitter as much as I do." 

"She looked stunning in that blue dress and you know it." 

"She legitimately stripped it off in the hallway before walking into the apartment. We have enough dog hair to deal with, let alone glitter mixed into the mess somehow."

"*shudder* I don't even want to imagine the dog hair situation," Vesper texted back, and Percy snorted. 

"You're ridiculous." 

"You're ridiculous." 

"Thank you for he pre-decorating, Sister. /s" 

"You are so Very Welcome, Percival."

Percy was about to slide his phone back into his pocket, but he glanced out the window, noting the view once again. 

He took a picture and texted it to Vex. "The view from my new office. It's beautiful up here."

Vex replied back moments later. "It's gorgeous. You earned that view, darling."

He sent her back a heart and a face blowing a kiss, and she sent a kiss back to him, followed by confetti. He grinned, pocketing his phone with a widening smile on his face, and continued to unpack, finding his way around the office. He made two more trips to get everything across the building, and Kynan assisted him on the last trip, eagerly taking a pile of papers from the filing cabinet and carrying them down alongside Percy. 

"So I hear you're to be my new secretary," Percy said as they set down their things. 

"Yes, sir. Kynan Leore. Anything you need, I'm here to make sure you get it." 

"It's very nice to meet you, Kynan," he said, holding out his hand, and Kynan took it gingerly, shaking it once, though his grip was deceptively strong. 

"It's nice to meet you, Mister de Rolo." 

"Please, call me Percival. Or Percy. Mister de Rolo is my father's moniker, not mine - at least not to you."

Kynan's cheeks turned a little pink, but he nodded. "...Okay, Percival,” he replied, the name clearly hesitant on his tongue. 

Percy just gave him a smile. "You come highly recommended from my Father and his secretary, and I look forward to working with you." 

Kynan straightened his back and nodded. "I look forward to it too. I'm a hard worker, and whatever you need, I'm here to help with. Scheduling, getting you lunch, anything." 

"Well, I tend to take my lunches outside of the building, since I like to spend the time with my fiancée." Percy said. "So that part probably won't be necessary."

"Understood," Kynan said, his cheeks coloring a bit more, though he stood tall. "I'll leave you to finish setting up your office, while I set up my desk. I'll be right outside if you have need of me." 

"Thank you, Kynan." Kynan nodded again and left, closing the door and leaving Percy to finish organizing his things, which luckily didn't take long. He'd always kept his space neat and sparse - it was easier to keep it clean that way, otherwise he knew he'd have paper everywhere. 

There was already a computer and monitor at the desk, and Percy checked the plugs before starting it up, noting the flash of a notification on his phone as he received an email from K'ryyn with the instructions on how to log in and change his administrator settings. 

While it was booting up, he took out the few trinkets he kept for himself in his office - a picture of himself and Vex and a glass-blown paperweight his parents had gotten for him, similar to the ones they'd gotten for Julius and Vesper upon joining the company.

He smiled as he looked at the picture. A gift from Vax, it showed Vex laughing, her arms around his shoulders as he was smiling, cheeks slightly pink, no doubt from some lewd remark from one of the twins. It was one of his favorite pictures of the two of them. 

Once the computer was ready, he logged in and updated the username and password before formatting the rest of the display to his liking. He opened his email on the computer and read through the instructions to access the documents he would need to see, the monthly reports and the daily spreadsheets, as well as the schedules of the other accountants. He would be in charge of organizing that as well, it seemed.

He sighed, setting up some folders and getting to work. It took until lunchtime to sort things out and start figuring things out. Start being the keyword, he thought, looking through the now-slightly-more-organized mess that made up the accounting records. He was glad when his phone chimed, telling him it was noon, and he was able to log out. Vex was painting at her usual spot, and they were going to a nearby Thai restaurant for lunch. 

And Percy was starving.

Kynan was already gone when Percy left his office, so he headed out, waving goodbye to those who were still at their desks. It wasn't long before he was smelling the fresh air, and the bright summer sun warmed his face.

He made his way towards Vex's spot, and saw her working on a painting and talking to Kynan, who seemed absorbed into what she was saying, and Percy watched as he dropped a few coins into Vex's tip cup. 

"Thank you darling." Vex gave him a smile. 

"You're very welcome." Kynan said, watching her with wide eyes. "You're very talented." 

"You're a sweetheart. Thank you." Vex replied, and caught Percy's eye as he watched, grinning. "Hello darling, is it lunchtime already?" She called out.

"It is," he affirmed, sidling up to her, and Kynan flushed, immediately taking a step back and dropping his gaze. "Kynan, I see you've met Vex." 

"I've seen her in passing," Kynan said with a shrug, obviously trying to pull a bit more decorum onto his shoulders as he straightened up again. "But I never took a moment to stop and look at her art until now. It's very lovely."

"Thank you again," Vex said, lips quirking into an amused grin as she looked between the two of them. "And how do you two know each other? Through work I assume?" 

"Kynan is my new secretary," Percy said, to which Kynan nodded. 

"I just started working with Mister- with Percival today," he said. "But I look forward to working together more in the future." 

"As you should," Vex said with a smile. "I'm sure you'll perform admirably, Kynan, if you were selected for the position."

"Thank you, Miss...De Rolo?" Kynan said, clearly unsure, and Vex chuckled. 

"Not quite yet, darling, but close enough. Just call me Vex. If you're the one in charge of organizing Percy's life now, I'm certain we'll be seeing more of each other, and I'm not one for formalities." She told him. 

Kynan nodded, cheeks flushed a little more red than they were before. "Okay, Miss Vex." He replied. "Um, I'm going to finish my break now, if that's all right." 

"Of course. We’re not on the clock, you don’t have to ask permission for it." Percy replied. 

"It was very nice to meet you, Kynan." Vex said as she bent over to start packing up, while Trinket stood from where he had been napping and sniffed at Kynan.

"Until later, Percival," Kynan said, eyeing the dog, who looked much bigger now that he was standing. 

"Until later, Kynan," Percy said with a smile, and Kynan hurried away down the street. 

"He seems nice," Vex said with a chuckle, stowing away her paints and paintbrushes. 

"He's new, certainly," Percy said, smiling, watching Kynan walk away. "But he's good at his job, according to my father's secretary, and he's eager to please." 

"I'm sure it'll work out well," Vex murmured, standing on her toes to press her lips to his cheek before turning to pack up her canvases. 

"I think so." The two of them packed up the rest of her things, and they were off down the street a couple blocks, Vex's hand in his. "My first conference is in a couple weeks," he said as they approached the restaurant. "In Vasselheim."

"Ooh, that sounds both absolutely miserable and fun at the same time. Vasselheim is gorgeous with all the ancient buildings still there." Vex said. "I actually lived there, for a while. My last foster family moved out there without really reporting it, and to me, it was the perfect time to run away. I couldn’t really be tracked the same way I could in Tal’Dorei. One of the perks of being on a completely separate continent.”

Percy gently squeezed her fingers. “I didn’t know that,” he murmured. 

Vex shrugged. “It was never important. I lived there, I left to Tal’Dorei again once I was married, then fled back to Vasselheim after the divorce, for a lot of reasons, though a lead on Vax was the main one.”

“How long did you stay there?” he asked.

“Two years the first time, and one the second,” Vex replied. “I know the area pretty well, though I would love to spend some of the days with you seeing the sights from a tourist’s perspective.” She smiled.

“I'd love to spend an extra day or two with you there, being touristy." He brought her hand up to kiss her fingers.

"Being touristy anywhere sounds fantastic, to be honest," Vex said with a grin. “But especially with you.” 

"We'll see everything you want to see," Percy said, holding her hand tight. "I don't know much about the particular sights, but we can do some research and figure out what we might want to see." 

"Absolutely," Vex said, a far-off look in her eye. "I have a couple places in mind, but I'll do some more digging."

Percy nodded. "It's a date, then." He grinned, finding himself actually looking forwards to the conference, now. He had to admit, even just knowing that Vex could come along gave him a knot of anxiety in his chest that loosened as they made their plans.

* * * * * *

It took about a week, but Percy was steadily finding his feet. He had combed through all the records and reports, and started making changes to how the accounting department was managed and handled. It earned him a few allies, as well as a few people who complained about the lack of free time since he had gotten stricter on them, but the end of the week report made Percy smile, as their numbers had improved and there were less mistakes in the budget. Kynan had become an invaluable asset, scheduling meetings for him and generally just helping him get his busier schedule in line, as well as booking the flight and hotel for the upcoming conference.

The days went by in a flurry of work and preparations for the conference. Percy wouldn't be making demonstrations - Julius had that front covered - but he would be scouting possible business opportunities and connections. He checked on the businesses that would be represented at the convention and learned what he could in advance to understand which aspects of development each focused on. It was tedious, but necessary if he was going to negotiate any partnerships. Their budgeting and records in the accounting department were looking neater by the day, and Percy was feeling comfortable enough to leave for the conference, leaving the accountants on their own for a few days.

He was busy making sure he had everything he would need packed while Vex took Trinket over to Vax and Keyleth's apartment, as they would be watching the dog while they were gone, when his phone rang with a call from his mother. He picked it up, holding the phone against his ear using his shoulder as he continued folding clothes and packing them neatly. 

"Hello, Mother,” he greeted. 

"Percival. How are you doing, dear?" Johanna asked. 

"Doing well. Is everything all right?" 

"Yes, of course. I mean, I still have a lot of things to discuss with you and Vex, specifically the fact that you still don't have a date set, but that's not the reason for the call today. Ludwig and the twins are home, and Whitney is looking so beautiful! I'm calling to ask if you and Vex might be able to come over for dinner before you leave for that conference that you and Julius are attending - Vex hasn't even met the twins yet!"

"Oh! Um, yes, sure- I mean, I'll talk with Vex, though I'm sure she’ll say yes. Tonight, then?" 

"Yes - I know it's a bit sudden, but you're heading out tomorrow, and it'll be the last family dinner we get for a while, what with them heading out to school again soon..." 

"No, it's no trouble at all!” Percy assured her, though he couldn’t help but wonder if they could have been given a _bit_ more notice. “We can head over soon, once we're finished packing-" 

"Don't rush - we'll probably start around seven or seven thirty, so you've got some time."

Percy glanced at the clock on the wall, which read five thirty. "Okay, I'll ask Vex and text you to let you know,” he told her. 

"Wonderful. I hope to see you soon; Whitney is so excited." Johanna's smile was audible through the phone.

"I'll let you know," Percy repeated, and they hung up before he dialed Vex's number, pressing the phone to his ear once more. 

"Hello darling, I'm almost finished here, Queenie won't get out of my hair." Vex answered the phone, laughing at some antic going on.

"She's trying to make a new nest! Give your hair to the cause, Stubby!" 

"Is Vax drunk?" Percy asked, bemused. 

"Mostly just slap happy, I think," Vex replied, chuckling. "But he might be close. He's certainly had a couple drinks." 

"Have not!" 

"Liar!" came Keyleth's voice through the speaker. 

"Anyway, what did you need?" Vex asked. 

"My mother invited us over to dinner at my family's house this evening. The rest of my siblings are home for a bit, and are apparently interested in meeting you."

"That sounds like fun. Do you want to come and get me, then? Because I don't think Queenie is giving up without a fight." Vex laughed, and there was a cawing noise in the background that had everybody on the other end of the line bursting into giggles. Percy felt his lips curl up in a smirk, fairly positive that Vax wasn't the only one who had had a few drinks. 

"I can do that. I'm just finishing up packing, and then I'll be on my way over," he told her. 

"Fantastic. See you soon darling, I love you!"

"Love you too, dear," he said, smiling. "See you soon." 

It only took him another half hour to check the bags one last time and make his way over to Vax and Keyleth's apartment. His knock was greeted with shouts from behind the door, and he rolled his eyes in amusement, even as Keyleth pulled open the door, cheeks flushed and a big grin on her face. "Percy!" she exclaimed. "So glad you finally made it!" 

"It hasn't even been forty minutes, Keyleth.” 

She shrugged. "Why does that matter?!" 

"Hello Freddie!" Vax practically shouted from the living room. "Good to see you!"

"Hello, Vax." Percy called back a greeting, stepping into the apartment at Keyleth's invitation. Vex was sitting upside down on the couch, her feet kicked up over the back of it as her hair, loose from its normal braid, cascaded to the ground. Queenie walked through it, tugging at it on occasion while Trinket happily laid across Vax's lap as he sat cross legged on the floor. 

"Hello darling." Vex greeted with a smile, her own cheeks also a little pink. "We may or may not have indulged in some wine while we talked." 

"By may or may not, she means ‘definitely did’." Keyleth said from behind Percy as Vax laughed and scratched behind Trinket's ears. 

"Pretty sure he figured that out, Kiki, he's a smart egg," Vax said.

"Such an egg," Vex chuckled, even as Percy came up next to her, sitting on the couch so he didn’t need to squat. "But a lovely egg. I love you." 

"Love you too, dear," Percy murmured, resting a hand on the side of her face, cupping her cheek. "Getting started early?" 

"Had to. Wedding stuff is stressful," Vex murmured, leaning into his touch.

Percy gently ran his fingers through her hair, earning an unhappy squawk from Queenie as the strands moved. 

"I'll do my best to keep topics away from wedding planning,” he promised. “And, considering this is the first time Whitney's been home since her surgery, I'm sure all eyes will be on her instead of you tonight.” 

"Thank the gods for that." Vex heaved a massive sigh.

"You shouldn't have too much trouble," he said with a nod. "From what she said, everyone's been excited to see them, not to mention Ludwig, who you still need to meet as well." 

"Ah, right, the whole family," Vex said, letting out a long-suffering sigh as she swirled the last bit of her wine, the cup surprisingly steady despite her being practically upside-down. "Lovely."

"They're really not that bad." Percy replied, still combing his fingers through her hair gently. 

"Don’t lie,” Vax scoffed, snorting as Percy looked up at him. “Those twins of your family almost put me to shame. I remember once at a party, that they crashed, by the way, they spiked the punch with laxatives."

"Oh my god! That was terrible!" Keyleth exclaimed, nearly shouting, and she burst out laughing. "I remember that!" 

"Gods, that was a mess," Percy said, remembering the uproar, and just how badly his parents had reacted to the prank. The twins had managed to weasel out of punishment somehow, and had lain low for a good long while after that.

Vex just groaned. "I guess it just runs in twins' blood,” she commented. 

"I'm sure they'll leave you alone,” Percy told her, hoping it was true. “They'll want to get to know you a little more before hazing you." 

“Not helping, darling." 

"Sorry dear."

"When are they expecting us again?" she asked, curling into his side. 

"Dinner starts in a little over an hour," he replied, stroking her hair again. Queenie pecked at him, but he ignored her and she cawed angrily at him.. 

"So I have a bit more time to get drunk? Excellent." 

"Only if you want to make a terrible impression on my younger siblings," Percy said, doing his best to scold her. He understood the pressures she was facing, but at the same time he didn't want her to stumble into his family's ancestral home on her second visit.

Vex sighed heavily. 

"Fine,” she mumbled, leaning her head into his knee. "There'll be wine at dinner anyways." 

Percy sighed, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You'll be fine, I promise. You already know most of everyone there."

"That's true," Vex admitted, looking toward the ceiling and sighing again. "Well, there are worse things I could be doing. Not much worse, but worse." 

"And this is when you remember that alcohol is a depressant," Percy murmured, shooing Queenie away as she tried to peck at him again. "Sober up a bit? For me?" He gestured to the crackers and cheese that were sitting out on the table, and she shot him a glare and a long-suffering sigh.

"Please?" Percy asked softly, and Vex relented, reaching over her head to take a cracker and some cheddar cheese, and pulling herself up to eat it. "Thank you,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her cheek as she settled against the back of the couch. 

"I'll bring some water," Keyleth said, heading towards the kitchen. Queenie landed on Percy's knee, squawking unhappily at him. 

"I'm sorry for moving your toy," Percy told her.

"You made my hair so lovely, dear, thank you," Vex said, running two fingers down Queenie's back. "A beautiful nest for a beautiful bird." Queenie shook her feathers out, straightening proudly, and Percy chuckled. 

"Come here, Queenie," Vax called, whistling. "Come over to your dad." Queenie turned to consider him, then pulled at one of the loose hairs on Vex's coat and brought it back with her. "Yes, you are such a beautiful girl. So beautiful," he baby-talked, scratching around her head. Queenie happily pressed her head into the touches, looking very content and happy now. 

"You spoil that bird," Vex commented as she took the glass of water from Keyleth, taking a sip. 

"Hey, she's my baby, don't act like you don't spoil Trinket," Vax retorted

Trinket barked happily from the floor, and Vex laughed, reaching down to scratch his ears. "Guilty as charged," she said, chuckling. "I completely understand." 

"But we'll take good care of you, won't we, buddy?" said Vax, stretching out his other arm to pat Trinket's head. "Such good care of you while your Mom's away."

Trinket's tongue lolled out as he panted happily, pressing his head into the touches. Percy glanced at his watch. "We should start to get going,” he told Vex, making her pout at him.

"Fine," she grumbled, slipping onto the floor to give Trinket one last hug. "I'm gonna miss you, buddy," she simpered, burying her face in his fur. "Don't worry, we'll be back before you know it." Trinket whined, turning to lick at her face, and she laughed, pulling away and wiping away his slobber. "Yes, I love you too, buddy. Until later, okay? Be good for Keyleth and Vax!"

Trinket barked and wagged his tail. "He'll be fine, Stubby. Have fun in Vasselheim." Vax leaned over and gave her a hug as well. 

Vex stood, and Keyleth walked the pair of them out, giving them both hugs. 

Vex leaned in to Percy as they went down to the car. "...Shit. I just realized I'm just wearing normal clothes." She gestured to her tank top and jeans.

"Don't worry about it," Percy said, kissing her cheek. "The only people you're going to be making a first impression on are Ludwig and the twins, and they're college students. You'll be fine." 

"Even for a family dinner?" 

"My mother knows it was a last-minute invitation," Percy said with a shrug. "I mean, we can stop by the apartment if you'd like something more formal..."

Vex made a slight face at that. "Your family's version of casual is my formal,” she pointed out, gesturing at Percy and his button down shirt. "If you're sure this isn't too inappropriate... I don't think your father has ever seen me outside of formal parties, and I know how he tends to feel towards the tattoos..."

"Hmmm," Percy murmured, eyeing her critically. On one hand he knew how much both his parents cared about appearances, and how much Vex cared about the impressions she made on others. On the other hand, her outfit was casual, but flattering (as was, admittedly, everything she wore). Her jeans were torn in places, and splattered with what paint hadn't come out of the denim. Her tank top was loose, showing a sports bra beneath it, but it showed off her toned muscles nicely, and he knew that if she turned around, her tattoo of his family's crest would be peeking out over the top of the shirt, like the rising sun. 

"I think you look gorgeous," he murmured, taking her hand. “And besides, Father loves you, tattoos and all. If he had any real issues with it he would have brought it up a long time ago.”

"You would think I was gorgeous if I was wearing a burlap sack," Vex retorted, smiling as she wove their fingers together. “And that is good to know.”

"You just make burlap sacks look good," Percy chuckled, leading her through the lobby and holding the car door open for her as they approached.

"I guess it'll be fine," she said, though she didn't seem completely certain.

"It will be," Percy assured her. "If not, I'll have something to say about it." 

She chuckled, smiling at him and he laced his fingers with hers as he told the driver where they were headed. 

The drive was relatively short, and spent mostly in silence. Vex kept shooting him looks, and blushing when he raised an eyebrow at her, the wine obviously taking an effect. But they reached the house with time to spare, and even though Percy could feel her tense up by his side as they approached the front door, he held her hand tight, giving her what strength he could.

Percy opened the door just as someone with long brown hair turned the corner, and she turned to look before beaming and running towards him. "Percy!" She exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms. 

Percy laughed and hugged her, before pulling away, unable to stop the grin on his face. "Oh Whitney, you look beautiful!" he exclaimed. Whitney smiled happily, doing a twirl for the two of them unbidden, her skirt flaring up at the bottom. Before, she had been slight of frame and with the square jaw all the de Rolo men shared. Now, her jaw was smoother, more rounded, and she had the curve of breasts and hips giving her slight frame much more of a feminine silhouette.

"Thanks," she said, blushing slightly. "Oh, is this Vex?" 

"That's me," Vex said, giving a small wave. "Very nice to meet you, Whitney." She held out her hand, and Whitney shook it. 

"Very nice to meet you too!" She shot a grin at Percy as the two of them separated. "So this is the girl Vesper says you never shut up about." 

Vex also turned to look at him and he felt his cheeks redden. "So?" 

"So I can see why," Whitney quipped winking at him, and Vex laughed from beside him, elbowing his ribs. 

He felt his face heat up even more. "I regret introducing you to any of my sisters," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "You four are going to get along all too well and I hate it."

Whitney laughed and grabbed Vex's arm, looping their elbows together. "Oh absolutely. Vesper says you two are even engaged now? She's one of us brother, and we aren't giving her back." 

Vex laughed too, letting Whitney take her arm.."Sorry darling, I have a soft spot for your sisters too.”

"Joy," he said in a flat tone, though he couldn't help smiling as Whitney led Vex into the living room, calling out for her twin when they arrived. 

"Yo! Ollie! Come and meet your future sister-in-law!" 

Percy followed them into the room, looking around at his family lounging on the couches, and felt satisfied as all of them waved or greeted Vex when she came in. That they accepted her for who she was meant the world to him, and he knew it meant even more to her. 

Oliver pulled himself up from the couch and stuck out his hand for a handshake, only to turn it at the last minute and press a kiss to Vex's knuckles. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he said, throwing on a heavy accent for good measure.

Vex's cheeks went a little pink, but she smiled. "A pleasure to make yours, good sir,” she replied in the same stupid accent that he had used, causing Oliver to burst into laughter.

"I like her. I'm keeping her. Percy, she's mine now." Oliver grinned, moving to wrap his arms around Vex's waist and lift her up.

"Woah!" Vex exclaimed, letting out an astonished chuckle.

"Too late!" Cassandra called from the other side of the room before Percy could come up with an adequate response. "Percy already put a ring on it." 

"Let a boy have a chance," Oliver shot back over his shoulder, putting Vex down as he did. "Well, what do you think?" he asked her, and Vex grinned. 

"Buy me a drink first, darling. Or one of my paintings. That's what your brother did, and it worked out pretty well for him." She reached back to lace her fingers into Percy's and he stepped forward to join her.

Oliver just grinned at her. "In a heartbeat, my beauty. Seriously, you're _way_ too pretty to be stuck with someone like my older brother. You could pick the handsome one, at least." He gave her an exaggerated wink.

"I'm sitting right here, you know." Julius quipped, laughter breaking out among all the siblings except for Oliver, who stuck his tongue out. 

"I don't know, she does have a twin too." Vesper teased, and Oliver's eyes lit up even more. 

"See! It's meant to be! I can have her, and Whitney can have her twin, and everyone is happy!"

"Unfortunately he's already married," Percy said, finding his voice. "And Keyleth can be a bit jealous, so I'd recommend staying away from that can of worms." 

"Keyleth Ashari?" Whitney asked, jaw dropping. "That's- oh my gods." She fanned herself for a moment. "I'd love for her to kill me any day of the week. It would be an absolute honor."

Vex laughed. "She's quite wonderful. She's very sweet and thoughtful, and a great sister in law." 

"You have to let me meet her with you one day!" Whitney said loudly. "She's like...One of my idols." 

"I'm sure you'll meet her at the wedding," Johanna piped up. 

"Oh gods, she's going to be at the wedding? Sweet Pelor, that's... Oh my gods." Whitney was grinning ear to ear, staring dreamily into the distance. 

"Ludwig, you gonna say hi to Vex?" Percy heard Cassandra, and glanced over to see her elbowing his youngest brother, who has his attention turned towards his phone in his hand.

"Hello Vex'ahlia, a pleasure," he said, lowering his phone and nodding graciously to her. "Apologies for not being more direct earlier." 

"It's perfectly all right," Vex said. "The twins seem to want to keep me to themselves as it is." 

"They commonly claim attractive men and women. Don't let it bother you." 

"I won't," Vex said with a laugh, looking back at Percy with a smile and holding his hand tight. "I've got my man right here." Cassandra wolf-whistled, and Percy saw his mother roll her eyes as the rest of his siblings laughed. 

"As it were, I think dinner's nearly ready," Frederick said, glancing over to the door, where a servant was standing at attention. 

"Yes sir - he finishing touches are being put on the dishes now, so if you could make your way to the dining room it would be much appreciated."

"Of course. Thank you, Timothy." Frederick smiled, and everyone slowly got up from the couches, making their way towards the dining room. The twins shared a grin, before flocking to either side of Vex and gently tugging her away from Percy, looping both of her arms into theirs. 

"Hey now!" Percy protested as Vex's hand slipped from his grasp. 

"Ours now." They said together, moving as one to throw cheerful grins at Percy over their shoulders as they escorted an amused Vex to the dining room. 

Percy sighed and shook his head. "You know, I was expecting them to try to prank her, not steal her,” he lamented to Vesper as they walked.

"You expected the twins to do something - that's your first mistake," Vesper murmured, shaking her head. "Don't worry though, they can't keep her too long. And you'll be spending most of the week with her in Vasselheim when you're not at the conference." 

"Very true," Percy said, feeling a bit better about it all. Yes, he knew the twins were joking, but he couldn't help feeling both a little jealous and protective at the thought of losing her to them.

Whitney pulled Vex's chair out for her, as Oliver bowed and kissed her knuckles once more before they sat on either side of her. Percy put his hands on the back of Oliver's chair, looking down at him. "I'd really like to sit next to my fiancée, you know,” he told his younger brother. 

"C'mon, you live with her, let me have this fleeting moment!" Oliver protested. 

Vex chuckled, taking Percy's hand and pressing a kiss to his fingers. "It's all right darling, we both know you're my favorite de Rolo,” she murmured, eyes twinkling with mirth.

"Rejected," Cassandra hissed from across the table. Oliver stuck out his tongue at her. "Come on, Percy, join me on this side. Then you can at least talk to Vex without either of _them_ being in the way." 

Percy rolled his eyes and took the seat next to Cassandra, situating him directly across from Vex, who smiled at him, lightly kicking his foot under the table. He raised his eyebrow and tapped hers back, then turned to the servant who had asked what he'd like to drink, even as he felt her foot hit his once again. He ordered some wine for himself, and noted that Vex did as well, though she specifically asked for water too. She caught his eye and gave him a subtle thumbs up while the twins were discussing over her head what sort of drinks they wanted. He smiled and nodded, glad she was feeling more at ease.

Once everyone had their drinks, Johanna looked over towards Ludwig. "So, how has Wildmount been treating you?" she asked, taking a sip of her own wine. 

"Wonderfully," Ludwig replied, looking down the table towards his parents. "It's really a great area, and the schooling is wonderful. I'm going to go on a trip to Ank'Harel this summer with a group from my class, to study the buildings where the ruler, Devossa, spent their time."

"That sounds wonderful, dear!" Johanna smiled. "You'll have to take lots of pictures. Ank'Harel is so beautiful, I remember when we went for our honeymoon." She sighed happily, shooting a glance at Frederick before looking back at Percy. "Maybe you and Vex can take yours there?" 

"Maybe," Percy allowed, though he was thankful that Oliver cut in. 

"Anyone catch your eye there, little bro?" Oliver asked Ludwig.

Ludwig only rolled his eyes. "There's plenty of people who've piqued my interest, though it’s more often been for academic reasons than aesthetic reasons. If you're asking if the people there are objectively beautiful, though, I'd say yes." 

Oliver sighed. "You'll understand one day." 

"No, actually I'm quite sure I won't," Ludwig murmured, rolling his eyes. "My studies are much more important to me than spending time with people who want different relationships than I can give them." 

"But you are finding some friends, right?" Johanna asked, and Ludwig nodded. 

"Certainly - there are many scholars there who help me get more out of my studies, and I've thoroughly enjoyed the games I play with those in my dormitory. We have quite a large selection in the common room."

"That's all that’s important, then," Johanna nodded, smiling, before turning her attention to the twins. "And how about you two? I didn't receive any phone calls from administration this semester, so I'm assuming that's a good thing?" 

"Yes," the twins chimed in together, and Percy snorted with some amusement. He didn't doubt that the twins still kept to their mischievous ways, but every year they seemed to get better at avoiding getting caught. 

"We actually stayed out of trouble this semester," Whitney said with a smile. "I know it sounds crazy, but we're doing much better!" 

Percy shot a look to Vesper and then Julius, both of whom looked as skeptical of the claim as Percy felt, but their father smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad you two are growing up." 

"Just because they didn't get caught it doesn't mean they didn't do anything," Cassandra murmured to Percy. He nodded, doing his best to hide a grin.

"We can hear you, you know," Oliver said, and Percy couldn't stop the snort that escaped him. 

"Really, are you making such a poor impression of us to Vex? I'm ashamed." Whitney put a hand to her chest.

They were saved having to answer by the kitchen doors swinging open in a rush, servants flowing in with various appetizers on serving platters. Percy saw Cassandra stick her tongue out at the twins, and they responded in kind, straightening up as the servants approached. They laid out various dishes, small sandwiches and bacon stuffed jalapenos, soups and salads, and make sure everyone was topped off on their drinks. 

"Oh, I missed the food at home," Oliver grinned, taking a jalapeno and offering it to Vex. "These are amazing."

"Oh?" Vex asked, artfully raising an eyebrow. She took it from him and bit in, nodding, and Percy chuckled to himself as Oliver's eyes widened for a moment before he was able to smooth out his features. The peppers were rather spicy, but Percy, unlike the twins, knew Vex liked spice more than most. She took the heat like a pro, finishing of the rest of it in two bites.

"You're right, that was delicious." Vex gave him a smile, not even taking a drink from either of her glasses. "Would you mind passing the plate? I'd like more, please." 

Oliver's eyes widened, but he complied, glancing at his twin and then Percy, mouthing "She's hot," towards him.

"And she's mine," he mouthed back, making Oliver pout. Percy rolled his eyes and grinned, taking some soup into a bowl for himself. 

"So, you said you paint?" Whitney asked, taking some salad for herself and ladling on some vinaigrette. "What sort of subjects?"

"I usually paint anything that comes to mind," Vex replied, taking some soup for herself, and another jalepeño. "For the most part that means animals, in a semi-abstract style, though I have done a few landscapes in my time."

"I have _got_ to show you three the amazing jaguar she painted for me," Frederick said with a grin. "She even gave it to me the day they told us about their engagement. She's really quite talented."

"Do you have a studio?" Ludwig asked, pushing his glasses slightly up his nose.

"Um-" Vex shot a helpless look towards Percy. They had never mentioned that Vex didn't have a studio to the family.

"We're working on getting her one, but her stockpile of paintings still needs to grow a bit before she puts then on display anywhere. Trust us, it's in the works. But with her moving in with me, and then marriage planning and now conferences to go to, we're thinking she might open one in the winter." 

Hopefully that would satisfy them. He didn't think they'd mentioned that she was a street painter, though he was quite sure that Vesper and Julius knew.

Vex nodded in agreement, keeping her face schooled and calm, even though underneath the table she nudged Percy's foot gently, a clear thank you. 

"You'll have to let us know when it opens, we would love to attend!" Johanna grinned. 

"Of course. It wouldn't be a proper opening without my family there." Vex gave them a shy, hesitant smile, but was met by grins around the table. It warmed Percy's heart to see. That his family considered her one of theirs so fully, that Vex considered herself one of them... He loved her so much. 

"Oliver, do you see how Percy's looking at her?" Vesper gently elbowed him from the other side. "You don't have a chance."

"Shut it, Vesper," Oliver hissed, elbowing her back, and Vex just grinned back at Percy, sipping at her soup. He chuckled, tapping her foot with his under the table. 

"At least I'm accepting my defeat with Grace, Ollie," Whitney quipped. "I will admire Vex from afar - she's too good for you, anyway."

Vex turned a little pink, as Oliver sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. "Will you still grace my life with your light on occasion, my Lady?" he asked Vex, reaching for her hand and holding it between both of his. 

Vex chuckled. "On occasion. And who knows, I might save a dance for you at a party someday." She gave Oliver a wink.

"It would be my honor to dance with you someday," Oliver said, his cheeks going pink. "Though I may just swoon in the presence of your beauty." 

"I'll take that dance if he does faint," Whitney cut in.

Vex laughed. "One for each of you," She promised, giving Percy a wink. 

"Hey now, I'll take one too." Julius grinned. 

"Me too!" Cassandra and Vesper chimed in. 

"No thanks," said Ludwig.

"You're going to be quite busy at our next party, it seems," Johanna said with a chuckle. "Better practice all your dances!" 

"At least that gives me an excuse to spend more time with her," Percy said, smiling. "I think I could handle being away from her for most of the party if I did each dance with her numerous times beforehand, to brush up her footwork."

Vex chuckled. "I have to have a practice partner, after all." She winked at Percy. 

Percy chuckled, and Johanna laughed. "Well, we do have to have our wonderful party celebrating Whitney sometime soon." She smiled fondly at her daughter. "And of course, there's the wedding... which, still needs a date, darlings." She gave both of them pointed looks. 

"You haven't picked a date yet?" Whitney asked. "You should get married in the winter! Winter weddings are so pretty!"

"We're working on it, I promise," Percy said. "But we need to make sure that Vex's friends will be able to make whatever date we set. We'll have the answer for you in a couple weeks, I promise." 

"See that you do. We still have to pick a venue as well, and a caterer, though we have decided what we want for food, so at least that narrows down our options..." 

"It'll be all right, dear," Frederick said, placing a hand over hers. "Remember how long we left our wedding planning? And our wedding went perfectly well." 

"It was nearly a year and a half after we were engaged! I want these two married sooner than that."

Percy glanced at Vex, who was reaching for her glass of wine and taking a long drink from it. "It'll be fine, Mother. Vex and I are in no rush." Percy told her. "We'd rather take our time and make sure the people we want there will be there." 

"The sooner you pick a date, the sooner that people can make plans!" Johanna pointed out. "Besides, we have to make arrangements for some important people to be there too, and their schedules are busy. The president of Everlight, for example, and the Princess of Othanzia." 

"Wait, an actual princess?" Vex asked, the color seeming to drain from her cheeks.

"Well, naturally! The Othanzian royalty and the de Rolos have had connections for generations. It wouldn't be proper to not invite them to the first marriage of one of our children. You remember the princess, don't you Percy?" 

Percy looked up, startled. He had no memory of any such princess, but luckily Julius came to his aid. "Was she the one who tried to get Cassandra to act like a proper Lady when she was five?"

"She was just trying to give her some pointers, considering Cassandra wanted to be a princess at the time." Johanna replied. 

Vex looked at Percy, her face pale white, and she looked like a cornered animal. She nudged her foot against his, eyes darting around everyone, and clearly just wanting to end this particular conversation. 

"We can have his discussion later, mother? Not at dinner?" Percy entreated her, trying to save Vex some face.

"I suppose this does need discussion," Johanna sighed. "Please, discuss it soon, even for a few moments while you're away." 

"We'll find some time, mother," Percy murmured, wishing he could grab hold of Vex's hand under the table. 

"Cassandra, how are your classes going?" Ludwig asked. "I don't know if you told me how your Ancient History of Tal'dorei exam went."

Cassandra groaned. "It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't skyped with me the night before,” she said, and the conversation moved over to the classes the younger siblings were taking. Color slowly returned to Vex's face, though she was definitely drinking more wine as the main dish was served, pork roasted to tender perfection with mashed potatoes and green beans on the side.

The rest of dinner went on without a hitch and soon they were having dessert - a gorgeous tiramisu. Whitney and Vesper were talking about the latest fashions, and Julius was asking Ludwig about his classes at boarding school. Vex was discussing Lord of the Rings - another movie series Percy had caught her up on - with Oliver and Cassandra, Percy jumping in when he could. It was simple and enjoyable, and he was thankful that they could be there as a family, and that Vex could be there as well.

Eventually though, they needed to get back home, so they could sleep before their early flight the next morning. Oliver bowed to Vex as they both stood, taking her hand and kissing it again. "It was wonderful to meet you, and I'll miss you until we reunite." He grinned up at her. 

Vex chuckled. "It was wonderful meeting you too, both of you." She gave both twins a smile. "I look forwards to seeing you again." She went over to Ludwig, offering her hand in a handshake. "And you as well, Ludwig."

"A pleasure, Vex," Ludwig said with a nod that was almost a bow. "Until we meet again." 

Percy held out a hand to her as she said her goodbyes to the rest of the family, and she took it, lacing her fingers between his as they left the house. When the doors had shut behind them she sighed heavily and pulled his arm so he turned and she could lean into his chest. "That was exhausting."

Percy wrapped his other arm around her, letting his fingers sink into her hair and holding her close. "I know." he murmured. "And I'm sorry for the twins, they can be a handful. Thank you, for dealing with my entire family at once," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"The twins aren't too bad," she murmured into his chest, shrugging. "They honestly amused me a lot more than they wore me out. Are they always that flirty with company?"

"Not always. Usually that means they like you. Though I will admit, Oliver normally isn't as bad." Percy sighed heavily. "I think he legitimately might have a crush on you." 

"That's adorable." Vex laughed softly. "But you know my heart belongs to you."

"Of course," Percy said, though the worry creeping up in his chest was chased away by Vex standing on her toes and pressing a kiss to his lips. He kissed her back for a long moment, then pulled away as he realized where they were. "Perhaps we should make it off the grounds before we start making out too much?" he offered.

"Spoilsport," Vex laughed, pulling him in for another kiss, though this one was briefer and more chaste than the first. "Though we do have an entire apartment waiting for us at home..." She purred. 

"Get a room!" Was shouted from somewhere above them, and they both jumped, looking towards the voice to see Cassandra above them, looking out one of the windows.

"Stop eavesdropping!" Percy called back, scoffing, but Cassandra only stuck out her tongue at him. 

"Let's go," Vex said, smiling, though he could see the tiredness she wore in the slump of her shoulders and the way her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. 

"We'll have peace and quiet at the apartment, at the very least," he murmured, kissing her forehead, and she nodded, pulling away while keeping her hand in his.

They got into the towncar that Percy had called for while she’d been saying goodbyes, and the ride back to the apartment was quiet, Vex leaning against him as he gently rubbed her shoulder. When they got back to the apartment, Percy stopped her, and gently used both hands to push her hair back before kissing her, holding her face gently. 

"Get undressed and lie on the bed,” he told her. “I'm going to give you a massage." 

"Mmmm, that sounds gorgeous," Vex murmured, lifting her hands up to cup his. "What did I do to deserve you?" 

"You're you," he said simply, laughing as she smiled lazily. "You get the massage because you've been tense all night. And trust me, even first class flying has its stressors. It's much better to be limbered up before you board the plane.”

Vex pushed herself up to kiss him once more. "I can’t disagree with that," she murmured before letting him go and heading to the bedroom. Percy dropped by the guest bathroom, grabbing the massage oil he had put there, then joined Vex in the bedroom. 

Vex was already completely naked, laying on her front on the bed as she undid her hair, letting it fall loose around her. Percy smiled softly, and moved to her side, letting his fingers trail gently along the line of her spine. "Get comfortable,” he told her, pouring some of the oil into his palm and letting it warm up.

"Already am. Not hard," she mumbled into the comforter, and he smiled, brushing some of her hair off her back before slicking his hands in the oil and starting at the middle of her back, pressing deep into the postural muscles along the sides of her spine. Vex groaned, and turned her head to take a deep breath, then flinched as he moved his fingers up, digging beneath her shoulder blades. 

"Too much?" 

Vex made a noise of declination. "Hurts good," she murmured. "Intense, but good. A little sensitive."

Percy hummed, and lessened the pressure just a little bit, continuing to massage at the tight muscles, feeling them start to relax and soften beneath his fingers. Vex let out a very happy groan as the tension started to lessen, her hands clenching lightly into the blankets. "Mmm, that feels good, darling..." She mumbled.

"It's meant to," Percy quipped, and Vex chuckled. 

"Could you go a bit higher, actually?" she asked, taking a deep breath as he worked his fingers up her spine toward her head. "There's a knot right- oh, fuck, yep. That's the spot." Percy held his fingers around the bump he could feel in her neck muscles, moving them slowly and pressing harder when he felt some of the pressure give way.

Vex groaned and arched her back slightly, pushing up into his fingers. "Fuck, so good..." She mumbled.

Once the knot had released, Percy leaned down to press some kisses to her shoulders, and his hands started pressing lower, against the muscles in her lower back this time. He slid his fingers up and down, massaging out the tension there and in her waist. 

"Mm, I'm so happy I'm marrying you. just the massages alone make it worth it." Vex mumbled into the pillow.

"Glad I can oblige," Percy said, pressing a kiss to her shoulder as he put more weight into his hands against her back. Vex groaned again, and Percy smiled, working his fingers around the back of her hips, above the bony crests and deep into the muscle. 

"There are some things better than sex..." Vex murmured, trailing off. "And this is one of them."

Percy chuckled. "Glad I could oblige you for both, then,” he said, pressing another kiss to her back. 

"Mmm, you're great at both darling," Vex mumbled as Percy worked his way down, starting to massage out the tension in her left thigh. "Oh, a full body massage? Darling, you're spoiling me."

"What good is having a fiancée if you aren't allowed to spoil her every so often?" Percy asked, smirking as he moved to her other leg. 

"By that reasoning, no good at all," Vex murmured. "Though I hope I have some freedom to spoil you as I please as well." 

"That seems amenable," Percy hummed, running his knuckles and then his thumbs up and down to feel for any knots. When he couldn't, he shifted down the bed, lifting her foot so he could rest her ankle on his leg. It gave him a better position, and he started on her calf, kneading the toned muscle in his hands.

Vex let out another pleased groan, and once the knots and tension were gone, he moved lower, massaging her ankle and foot. Vex curled her toes happily as he worked. "I love you so much." She mumbled into the pillow. "I don't deserve you."

Percy hummed in agreement and finished her foot, scooting across the bed to start at her other calf, kneading out the knots on the opposite side. Soon enough he was done and he pulled away from her carefully. "Anywhere I need to come back to?" he asked softly.

Vex let out a soft, sleepy hum. "Mmm, kisses would be nice." She mumbled softly. 

"Of course." Percy murmured, moving up the bed so he could lean down and kiss her. The kiss was long and languid, their lips and tongues moving together, but it wasn't sexual. It was just the pleasure of kissing each other, and Vex snuggled into the pillow as they broke apart, eyes closed and clearly about to pass out.

"I'm so glad you're coming with me tomorrow," he murmured, nuzzling her hair. 

"Me too," Vex whispered, eyelids fluttering as she tried and failed to keep them open. "I'd miss you while you were gone, otherwise." 

"I'd miss you more," he murmured, brushing some hair behind her ear with a knuckle. Vex made a noise of protest, shaking her head the tiniest amount, but otherwise did nothing to refute his claim.

Percy pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Good night, my love. Sleep well,”e murmured. 

"Night. Love you," Vex mumbled, her breathing evening out only moments later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update guys! Sorry about that, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer, and life has been busy for the two of us.
> 
> We hope you enjoy!


	6. Vasselheim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We're here already?" Vex asked, blinking blearily, then pulling herself over to the window, seeing much older architecture than was present in Emon. Even from the ground she could see white columns on buildings and tall steeples of churches peeking through the skyscrapers. "Wow, I'd forgotten just how beautiful everything looks."

Vex couldn't stop running her hand across the suede cover of her seat and fiddling with the different buttons to adjust the recliner. 

"You're going to need to put it back up when we take off," Percy chuckled as he finished stowing their carry-ons. 

"I want to enjoy this for as long as I can," Vex said, sighing happily and lying back. "The only thing missing is enough space to cuddle with you." 

Percy laughed, and Julius craned his head over the seat in front of them. "Have you decided what you want to drink yet?" 

"Drink?" 

"Did you not see the menu in the pocket of the seat in front of you? We get complimentary drinks as first-class passengers."

"We do?" Vex asked, sitting upright in her seat and pulling out the drink menu, looking through it. 

"We do," Percy confirmed, settling into his own seat next to hers. "And since it's a 12 hour flight, we get two meals as well.” 

"They're quite good." Julius said. "I'm always impressed with the fare from this airline." 

"That sounds so much better than the lunchables they gave us the last time I flew to Vasselheim." Vex chuckled, thumbing through the drink menu.

"They can't have actually given you lunchables," Percy said, sounding affronted. 

"I mean, it was as good as," Vex said with a shrug. "Not that I cared. I'd been eating far worse than that at the time, and so anything, even complimentary shit, was palatable, if not exactly a delicacy." 

"Well these meals are prepared by an on-flight chef, so they'll be a much higher standard than that," Julius assured her. She only nodded, distracted by the menu. Vex had been looking for drinks, but found filet mignon, salmon fettuccine alfredo, Marquesian caviar, and too many other fancy dishes to name. It was rather overwhelming. 

"These are complimentary?" she asked Percy in a hushed voice, as a couple other first class passengers walked past them to their own seats.

Percy nodded. "They are. One of the perks of flying first class." 

Vex bit her lip, looking them over. 

"Hang on, what were you doing that basic airline food was better than what you were eating at the time?" Julius asked, turning around, and Vex winced, realizing that Julius didn't know her whole story.

"I lived on the streets for a while while looking for my brother," she explained, feeling a heat come to her cheeks. She knew she shouldn't be embarrassed - it was her life, her past... But she couldn't deny how much she valued the appreciation of his family, especially those who were her peers. "Money was tight and I saved every penny to follow a lead to Vax across the Ozmit, only to find that he was nowhere in Vasselheim. I was stranded there for a while while I got back on my feet." 

Explaining Saundor's involvement would be too difficult, she decided, but she felt Percy's fingers twine with her own, obviously knowing where her mind was going.

Julius nodded, looking at her with not the pity she was expecting, but an understanding. "I knew you didn't come from this kind of life, from the first party,” he told her. "But I saw how hard you were trying, for Percy's sake, and how much you two cared for each other, even back then. I'm glad he found you, and know that you're one of us now. Even if my brother is stupid enough to let you go, I know I'll do what I have to to keep you comfortable." His voice rang with a clear promise behind the words. "You don't deserve going back to that kind of life."

"Thanks, Julius," Vex murmured. "I'm glad I can be counted as part of the family." She ducked her head, her eyes falling to the drink menu and a satisfactory way to change the flow of the conversation. "Hang on, we can get cocktails too? Damn."

"Pretty much anything you want. It's a full bar," Percy replied. "With unlimited refills, I believe?" 

"Yes." Julius nodded in agreement. "And there's ice cream as well, after each meal. You can make your own sundae." 

"Okay, I'm kind of wishing I had saved up enough for first class the first time I flew here." Vex marvelled at the extensive menu.

"It's certainly worth the price, if you have the money," Julius said, as the flight attendant came up to them. 

"Is there anything I can get for you all this morning?" she asked, "Drinks? Breakfast?" 

"Could I get a Summer Sangria?" Julius asked, and she nodded, turning to Vex and Percy. 

"Anything for you two?"

"A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, please." Percy asked, and Vex bit her lip as she glanced through the menu.

"Um, can I have orange juice and a breakfast burrito?" she asked. The flight attendant smiled. 

"Of course, ma'am, I'll have it right out once we're in the air."

"Thank you," she said, Julius and Percy echoing her as the flight attendant moved onto the next group of passengers.

"Anything you want to watch?" Percy asked, gesturing to the screen where the logo for Damien Airlines spun in a circle. He tapped his own, bringing up a menu with various musical, audiobook, and movie offerings. "They usually have the newest titles, and some old favorites."

Vex just felt absolutely baffled as Percy and Julius continued to show her different amenities that this flight had to offer them. "I, uh, I didn't realize just how much... How _luxurious_ this all is,” she admitted. 

"You're a de Rolo, Vex," Julius said, giving her a wink. "Welcome to the family, and all the perks that come with it." 

She glanced at Percy. "How much did these tickets cost again?" she asked in a low voice. Percy shrugged. 

"Kynan booked our tickets, so I honestly don't know,” he admitted.

Vex frowned, but did her best to put it aside and make herself comfortable with the opulence around her. She explored her seat and the various offerings on the flight, but with each new amenity uncovered she realized just how out of place she felt. 

"Are you alright?" Percy asked, lowering his voice and leaning close, taking her hand, and she realized she'd been staring at the screen for too long for it to be normal.

"A little overwhelmed," she admitted, turning her head to look at the rest of the first class cabin, then out the window at the suitcases still waiting to be loaded onto the plane. "It feels like this is too much, and I know it's fine, that regular flying isn't terrible, but...." she trailed off, not able to convey the message with words, and leaned into his shoulder instead.

Percy pressed a kiss to her head. "You know, you belong here, more than any of these other people, including my brother and I,” he murmured in her ear. "You can appreciate the value of this. You know what it's like on the other side of things, and you've been through enough hardship to earn this. These other people, this is all they know. For them, for us - this is how flights simply are, and they can’t appreciate it the way you can." He kissed her again. "You've suffered enough in your life. The least I can do is help make the rest of your experiences better in any way I can."

Vex chuckled, feeling wetness beneath her eyelids, but blinking it away hurriedly. It still felt like the whole first class experience was a bit of a waste, especially with how different she knew regular seats were, but it was fine. Splurging was good, every once in a while. 

"Thank you, Percy." 

She couldn't completely reconcile her feelings with her situation, but Percy helped, holding her hand through the rest of the boarding procedures and taking several more moments to check in with her before they took off into the air.

As promised, their drinks and Vex's burrito were brought out shortly after takeoff, and Vex bit into it, humming happily at the taste. The eggs were perfectly fluffy, the bacon crispy with just a hint of grease, and it tasted absolutely wonderful. 

Percy smiled, sipping at his wine. "Good?" he asked her. 

"So good," Vex mumbled around her mouthful, savouring it.

"I'm glad to hear," Percy said, a hint of laughter in his tone. Vex stuck her tongue out at him once she'd swallowed her mouthful of burrito, and he laughed, sipping at his wine. 

The rest of the flight was much more relaxing than any Vex had taken before, and after a while she found herself getting used to her surroundings enough to enjoy it. She queued up a season of some cop show she'd never heard of, but she got bored after only two episodes and looked up some Disney movies she and Percy had been meaning to watch. 

Percy glanced up as she turned to him, nibbling on some mozzarella sticks they had ordered, and quirked an eyebrow, pausing his own movie - something that had a sepia tone reminiscent of an old western. 

"Want to try and watch something together?" she asked. "I'm not sure how well we'll be able to sync things, but I found some of the Disney movies you'd mentioned - Mulan and Moana."

"We can certainly try," Percy replied, switching to his own menu and exiting the movie. "Those are both very good, though I will say I enjoyed Mulan a bit more." 

"Then we'll try Mulan," Vex agreed, switching to that movie as Percy looked it up on his screen. They counted to three and pressed play at the same time, Percy's only a couple seconds ahead of Vex's. Vex leaned into him, watching her own screen as the movie started, taking a mozzarella stick herself

Percy was good about holding back his laughter and singing until her movie had caught up with his, and she grinned as Mushu caused property damage, ran away, and ended up making breakfast for Mulan. Vex also found herself humming along with the songs, and just knew she would have them stuck in her head for days. 

At some point, Percy paused his video and pushed play again, syncing their streams to within a second of each other, and she smirked at him. He rolled his eyes, and she laughed, turning back to the movie, his presence warm at her side.

Once the movie ended, they did the same thing with Moana, working a little more at the beginning to get their streams synced as closely as possible. About halfway through the movie, Vex noticed that Percy's breathing had evened out, his cheek smushed against the top of her head. She couldn't help but smile, and stayed still, letting him rest

The flight attendant came by again, just as the movie was ending, and Vex ordered a hot chocolate, reaching up to close the fan above her and curling closer to Percy. Another thing she'd forgotten about airplanes was just how cold they could be. Luckily, the hot chocolate arrived quickly, and Vex was able to sip at it while sitting there, hesitant to start browsing through the selections on the screen in case it would wake Percy. Once she finished her drink, she let her own eyes close, and fell asleep as well. 

She was woken by the sudden jolt of the plane hitting the ground, and she groaned slightly as he head knocked into Percy's. They both winced and held their heads for a moment, Vex trying to get her bearings. 

Julius was laughing softly. "Good morning, sleepyheads,” he teased.

"We're here already?" Vex asked, blinking blearily, then pulling herself over to the window, seeing much older architecture than was present in Emon. Even from the ground she could see white columns on buildings and tall steeples of churches peeking through the skyscrapers. "Wow, I'd forgotten just how beautiful everything looks."

"It is amazing, isn't it?" Julius smiled. "I'm definitely going to go to the temple of Pelor while we're here. It's one of the oldest churches in the world, and so beautiful... The stained glass pieces there are exquisite." 

"I may join you for that," Vex murmured, watching as they pulled into the terminal while Percy yawned and checked his phone.

"We made good time," he murmured, stretching. "We've still got an hour or so before we need to check into the hotel." 

"We've still got to get off the plane and back through security," Julius reminded him. "We'll get there right on time." 

Vex grinned, trying to peer around to the front of the plane to see the mountains she knew were just out of her view. If she had the chance, she would absolutely go hiking, with or without Percy, up some of the trails. She'd done the same during her last visit to Vasselheim, and she was looking forward to the same spectacular views.

They disembarked without any issues, waiting for their luggage all together. The suitcases came within a timely manner, including the large garment bags that held Percy and Julius' suits, as well as the two evening gowns for Vex. Even though she wouldn't really be attending the conference with them, she would still attend the dinners, just to keep Percy company. 

When they exited, there was a man standing there with a sign that read "De Rolo", clearly waiting for them. "Ah, there's the driver." Julius smiled, walking over as Percy and Vex followed.

Their luggage was easily loaded into the car, and in no time they were off, driving through the streets that had a remarkable mix of older and newer architecture. Vex pointed out what she remembered of the city to Percy as they drove, and the driver directed their gaze toward any landmarks they passed, especially the Raven's Crest in the Duskmeadow district, an old church to the Raven Queen constructed in an architectural style far ahead of its time, and the Cobalt Vault, a sister to the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun. 

"It's the largest library this side of the Ozmit," the driver told them. "Well worth a look, even if you're not a collector. Those books have been around for thousands of years."

Percy nodded. "I love going there." He said. "Well worth the admission price. Some of those tomes..." He let out a happy sigh. "There's even one, it's called the Tales of Vox Machina. It's from the ancient times of Tal'Dorei, one of its kind, and the artwork is just exquisite."

"Vox Machina? They sound like a band," Vex said with a scoff. 

"More like legends," Percy said with a chuckle. "It feels a bit like a fairy tale, certainly, but again - the art is worth it." 

"Might be worth checking out," Vex murmured, leaning over Percy to look out his window. "But up there's where I'm interested in." 

"The mountains?" their driver asked, glancing at them in the rearview mirror. "They're certainly lovely this time of year. Not much snow, though that's preferable to visitors to Vasselheim."

"There's even a reservation of people out there, called the Pyrah," Percy told her. 

"I know," Vex nodded. "I lived with them for a time, when I was stranded here. Met a lot of people, it was quite fun." Vex grinned. "It's very homely, and they thrive on the barter system. You do a task for a task, or trade an item for an item. Great for when I was here last,” she murmured. 

"Maybe we can go out there, see if any of your friends are still there," Percy offered.

"Maybe," Vex murmured, looking up to the tall peaks that were nearly lost in the clouds. "It's quite a bit of a hike, though - not sure if you'd be up for it along with everything else." 

"I think you underestimate my abilities." 

"I don't think you’re underestimating him, Vex, don't worry," Julius said, turning around in the front seat.

"Oh, I know I'm not," Vex laughed, shooting him a wink. 

"Hey now!" Percy complained. "I'm not that out of shape!" 

"Darling, when I say a bit of a hike, I mean it's three days," Vex explained.

"Of straight hiking?" Percy asked, and Vex laughed at the disbelief in his voice, and the shocked but amused raise of his eyebrows. "Shit. Yeah, no. Don't have time for that, unfortunately." 

"That's what I thought," Vex said, laughing, sitting up to poke him in the ribs. "But that's all right, darling. I love you just the way you are." 

"Good to hear," Percy said with a chuckle, though his cheeks were pink. Vex smirked and leaned over to press a light kiss to his temple.

Julius laughed. "There's plenty more to do here than just go hiking. There are so many beautiful churches, and architecture. Definitely worth taking a tour around." 

"Agreed. You won't find older buildings than here in Vasselheim. We're the oldest city in the world," The driver said.

The rest of the drive to their hotel was uneventful, and Vex enjoyed taking in the sights from a very different perspective than she had been able to by walking next to the same buildings for weeks on end. Their hotel was only a block away from the conference center, in the center of the Quadroads, where skyscrapers butted against ancient houses and museums. A skyway system connected all the nearby buildings, likely to keep the rich from needing to go outside during blizzards in the colder months of the year. 

It was one of the nicest places Vex had ever stayed, and when they finally got to their room, which was nearly the same size as Percy's apartment, the first thing she did was laugh and throw herself into the perfectly made-up bed.

Percy laughed as he hung their garment bags in the closet. "Is it comfortable?" he asked her. 

"So comfortable." Vex mumbled into the pillows, yelping a little as Percy smacked her ass lightly as he walked by. "Hey now!" 

Percy chuckled. "You were wiggling it, how could I resist?" He winked, before checking his phone. "I only have an hour to kill before I'm meeting Julius so we can head to the convention hall to begin setting up."

"That's not enough time for any fun," Vex muttered, pretending to pout. She laughed when he gave her a Look, and she flopped back onto the bed. "Just kidding. We've got all night, don't we?" 

"As long as I've finished my work for the day..." Percy said with a smirk. "I don't think I'll be able to refuse."

"It wouldn't be right to not christen this amazing bed." Vex agreed, stretching out luxuriously. "I almost don't want to go anywhere, but I'm not tired enough for a nap." 

Percy chuckled, sitting next to her. "You can do whatever you'd like while I'm busy at the conference," Percy replied. "You have your card, and remember that money is no limit. Have fun, explore, do whatever you want. Don't worry about paying for food or admission, okay?" He gently ran his fingers through the hair at the top of her head, but was careful not to pull it out of its braid.

"You certainly know how to woo a girl." 

"Only one girl, really." Vex looked up at him, at his expression that looked like it could melt off his face if he let it. Unable to keep her lips from curling into a soft smile, she held his gaze, lost in him for a long moment. She turned her head to his forearm, pressing a kiss to it. 

His hand slid from the top of her head around the back of her hair to cup her cheek, and she hummed as he bent down and pulled her into a gentle kiss. "Love you," he murmured, pulling away but staying as close as he could, his forehead moving to rest against hers. 

"Love you more," she whispered back, pressing into his palm and letting her eyes closed as they breathed together.

Percy took in a deep breath before letting it out. "I'm so happy you're here,” he murmured, thumb gently caressing her cheekbone. 

"I'm happy to be here, darling," Vex murmured, pressing into his touches, her hand moving to wind her fingers into the white locks. "Fuck, I wish we had more time." 

Percy kissed her again lightly. "Me too. But tonight,” he promised her. "Tonight, I'll make you beg for me." 

"You make that sound like a threat. But I hope it's a promise," Vex purred, leaning in to catch his lower lip in between her teeth, tugging lightly before letting it slip away.

"I'll do my best to make it both, then." 

"I look forward to it," Vex hummed, capturing his lips in another kiss. "You're setting my expectations rather high...." 

"And you underestimate my ability to deliver?"

"I don't know..." Vex teased him playfully. Percy groaned. 

"You're going to be the death of me,” he mumbled, and Vex laughed, figuring that Percy must be getting as aroused as she was. 

"We should either stop now, or start now, so we can solve your not-so-little problem before your meeting,” she murmured to him as they kissed once more.

"I'm not sure I'll be satisfied in-" He turned his head to look at the clock. "Well, I suppose we do have thirty minutes...." 

"It comes down to you, darling. A little now and a little later? You don't want to go to your meeting all hot and bothered, do you?" She tugged at his hair and he whined, making her grin. 

"Gods, you're handsome," she murmured, leaning toward him again, guiding their lips together chastely, pulling away soon enough that Percy would have followed her lips forward without her fingers wound in his hair. "But you already knew that. What's your decision, darling?”

Percy licked his lips, opening his eyelids to reveal dark, lust blown eyes, the blue of his iris barely visible as he looked at her. "...You minx,” he growled, low in his throat, and Vex squealed with a laugh as he rolled over onto the bed, pinning her down as his mouth latched onto her throat, kissing and sucking at the tender skin there. 

Vex immediately slid her hands down, unbuttoning her jeans and starting to wiggle out of them, knowing that the sooner she was unclothed, the sooner they could get to it, since the clock was ticking now.

Percy groaned as she wriggled beneath him, and Vex started on her shirt as she kicked off her jeans as best she could. "Aren't you going to join me?" she asked breathlessly, feeling her blood rushing. 

"Don't wanna- don't want to dig through a pile of clothes," Percy grunted, and his face showed a split-second of indecision before he sat up on his knees and unzipped his pants, sighing as he freed his cock from its restrained position.

Vex undid her bra and tossed it to the side, before sitting up on her own knees, leaning forwards to press against him. "That's really hot." She purred, pressing a light kiss to his lips. "A striking businessman, too busy and important to even undo his tie, but his lady is completely bare for his eyes," she whispered, smiling as Percy's body shuddered at her words. She ran her fingers over his stomach, feeling the soft fabric of his shirt and the open suit jacket.

Percy jerked away from her touch, then hesitantly leaned forward, breathing hard. 

"Are you going to get on with it?" Vex asked. Or do I need to help a bit more?" Her fingers trailed down toward his pants and she curled them around his cock when they reached it, pumping it once, twice, three times until he couldn't help himself and he bucked into her hand. 

"Vex-" 

" _Percy_." 

"Oh gods."

Vex smiled, and pressed a light kiss to his cheek. "Come on darling, we don't have much time," she purred, before getting up off the bed and moving to the side, bending over so her feet were planted against the ground and her elbows on the bed. "I'm waiting," she teased, wiggling her ass at him.

Percy got up as well, moving behind her and Vex smiled, before her back arched and she moaned as his fingers dipped between her legs, finding her clit and rolling it between his fingers, the pressure delicious.

“Let me know when you’re ready,” he murmured, voice low, after a couple seconds. Vex could feel herself growing wetter.

"I've been ready for a bit now,” she hummed back, arching into his touch. “Don't you have a timetable to keep, dear?" 

"Don't remind me," Percy mumbled, stepping forward just enough so she could barely feel the fabric of his pants against the back of her thighs. She felt one hand move behind her, gliding over her ass and cupping it for a moment before the touch disappeared, then she felt him at her lower lips, having lined himself up, pushing forward, rocking gently, almost massaging her on the inside as he had done on the outside the day before. That thought, as he hit a particularly sensitive spot, made her clench around him, and she groaned as he moaned, his hand at her clit falling away as he pushed deeper.

His hands fell onto her hips as he fully pressed inside, the fabric of his pants rubbing against her ass and thighs. Her fingers clenched into the blankets, and she rocked her hips slightly. "Percy, now's not the time for drawing-ah!" The moan was punched out of her as Percy snapped his hips, her entire body rocking into the bed with the force of the thrust.

Her fingers and toes curled with pleasure as he pulled back and thrust forward again, filling her completely. She buried her head into the comforter, clinging on and bracing herself as he found his rhythm, moving slow for the first few strokes, but picking up speed as he continued, his hands falling to her hips.

Vex rocked her hips back into his to meet his thrusts, squeezing her muscles around him. 

"Come on, darling, you have to have been wanting this," she encouraged him. "You all proper in your suit and me bent over, willing to serve, in the gaps in between your busy schedule..."

Percy let out a strangled noise and pushed forward harder and faster. She moaned happily at the intense friction of him within her and Percy's hands tightened on her hips, his grip electric as he pushed and pulled her onto him. 

"You're so gorgeous here," he said between gasps. "Spread like this, tempting me even between official meetings. Now-" He groaned as she tensed around him suddenly, and his grip loosened as he smacked her playfully on the ass. "Now I really do promise to make you beg tonight," he finished, jerking his hips forward to meet her, moving his free hand in front of her to find her clit.

"Good," Vex whispered, shuddering with a loud groan as he started rubbing her clit once more. Percy held her hip with his other hand, thrusting deep and hard. Vex panted, hands scrabbling for more purchase against the bed as the pleasure mounted. She heard a telltale grunt, and squeezed down on Percy as he throbbed hard within her, feeling the warmth of him as he spilled himself. "There we go, darling, just like that..." she panted.

He moaned, and she clenched around him again, his finger still working on her bud as he jerked within her. The heat was intoxicating, and Vex turned to look over her shoulder, only to see Percy's head thrown back, hair looking windswept, his face flushed. But his collar and tie were still immaculately positioned, and she felt herself edge- and then fall into the swell of an orgasm at the sight.

Percy worked her through it, panting, and as she relaxed, coming back to earth, Vex felt him slowly pull out, leaving her feeling empty. 

"That was... Fuck, Vex," Percy mumbled, tucking himself back into his pants. 

Vex rolled over so she was laying on her back, giving him a lazy smile as she stretched, watching his eyes follow the movement of her breasts. "How did you like that?" she asked him.

"That was- beyond satisfactory," he said, still out of breath, reaching for a tissue from the side table to wipe some sweat from his brow. 

"I would hope it was a bit more that _that_ ," she teased, rolling onto her side to better see him. 

"It was fantastic," he amended, his breathing slowing down enough that he was able to take a deep inhale. "I didn't realize quite what the dichotomy between your nakedness and my... clothed-ness would do to me."

"Look at you, using big kid words." Vex chuckled, smiling as Percy moved to lay a hand on her hip and leaned down to kiss her. 

"I do my best," he smiled. "And now I'll be thinking of you every time I wear this suit."

"You'd better," she murmured, lowering her eyelids and fluttering her lashes. She let her fingers curl around his and pulled him in for another kiss, then pulled away, smiling at how relaxed he looked. "Now go have a good meeting, all right? Make a good impression of the company and all that."

Percy chuckled "You certainly helped settle my nerves,” he told her, stealing one more kiss and pinching her nipple, making her squeal before he pulled away. 

"Now you're just being mean.” She pouted at him. 

"I promised,” Percy defended himself, making sure his suit was straightened.

"I look forward to seeing that promise fulfilled." 

"Don't you worry," he said, lips falling into a smile as he winked. She smirked at his use of her signature gesture. "It will be. I should be out around four, if you want to find somewhere for an early dinner?"

"I think I can manage that," Vex replied, not bothering to pull on clothes. That would be later. "Have a good meeting, darling. I'm sure you'll do wonderfully." 

Percy smiled at her and took one last kiss before he grabbed his briefcase and left the room.

Grinning, Vex laid back on the bed, letting her arms fall to either side of her. She let herself indulge in the feeling of the soft blanket below her and the slowly-fading heat in her abdomen. A tickle of wetness started to work its way down her slit, and she rolled to the side, pushing herself up. Time to see what the water pressure was like in such a fancy suite.

She went to the shower, fiddling with the knobs until it turned on. She moaned as she noticed there was one overhead, and two jets to the side to almost massage her as she stood in the shower. She stepped inside once the water was warm enough, and if she spoiled herself with an hour long shower, no one else had to know

When she'd finally dried herself off and gotten dressed again, she browsed through the hotel's book of nearby restaurants and attractions. Most of them sounded fancy and expensive, but there were a few moderately priced places that she noted down so she could find them on a walk through the city. She gathered everything she would need in a small knapsack, and headed out, keeping her eyes open for both the restaurants she'd noted and anything else of interest.

It was nice, walking through the streets of Vasselheim again. The city hadn't changed very much at all, she noticed, right down to the little shops and corner stores. As she walked, she even noticed an old club she had attended several times during her stay called the Slayer’s Take. 

It had been a lot of fun, and had much less illicit activity than most of the clubs she had spent time at. Maybe she would take Percy there some night. Not when he had a meeting of course, but they were spending an extra two days just to explore the city together. Maybe one of those nights. She needed to teach Percy how to dance, and what better place to start?

Vex continued down the street, remembering more of the twists and turns, some of the bigger landmarks sticking out in her memory. Noting down some of the interesting ones, Vex smiled and looped around, passing by the wrestling arena called "The Crucible". For all that Vasselheim's residents were considered stuck up and old-fashioned, they had plenty of... Interesting entertainment. Vex remembered sticking her head in at one point, sneaking past the crowd and getting swept up in the excitement, but watching people beat each other up wasn't her idea of a great time.

She wandered her way through the streets until she found the local forest, dedicated to the worship of Melora. She remembered falling asleep among the trees, and being woken by one of the worshipers, who took her to the Birthheart and made sure she was clothed and fed. She thought of the cash in her wallet, and started making her way there, deciding to pay back the kindness that had been shown when she was at her lowest.

Vex took a deep breath as she entered the trees surrounding their holy area, and smiled, feeling at home beneath the boughs, soft grass under her feet. Following one of the many trails led her to the Birthheart in the center clearing, and she was happy to see that the ancient tree was strong as it had been during her last visit. There was a small chapel beside the tree, away from the main area where their farmer's market was set up each day and their soup kitchen for lunches and dinners. There weren't too many people there, but the head priestess was there, praying with a family near the front where an elaborately carved wooden altar appeared to be woven out of thin tree trunks.

She waited patiently as the head priestess finished with the family she was attending to, just enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. Once the family walked away, Vex stepped forwards. 

"Hello, my child." The head priestess smiled at her. 

Vex dipped her head respectfully. "Hello,” she murmured. 

"Have you come to pay your respects to Melora?" 

"In a sense." Vex replied, reaching for her wallet. "...Many years ago, I was lost, and hungry, and I fell asleep among the trees. One of your worshipers found me and brought me here, gave me food when I was starving and clothes when I was freezing. I owned nothing more than a small knapsack, and I'm fairly positive she helped to save my life. Now, I've been fortunate enough to find a life that allows me exuberance and luxury. I don't want for food or my basic needs any longer. But I wanted to repay the kindness shown to me when no one else would even look my way." She pulled out a couple of hundred dollar bills, and handed them out to her.

The priestess's eyes widened as Vex held out the money to her, but inclined her torso in a short bow, taking the bills in trembling fingers. "This is- thank you for your contribution to our cause," she said, still looking astonished. "The Wildmother thanks you for your generosity, and I am glad to hear that we were able to provide for you in a time of need. That's a great deal of what we hope to accomplish, in addition to preserving the natural forests in Othanzia and beyond." 

"And you've done an excellent job," Vex assured her, placing her hand over the priestess's. "Trust me, it's a joy to see you all still here, following the same mission.”

The head priestess smiled widely, and Vex could see some wetness to the old woman's eyes. Vex noticed out of the corner of her eye that the soup kitchen was starting to be set up for the day. And well, she had hours to kill before she had to meet with Percy for dinner. It would be good, to give back more to those who needed it, now that she could. 

"I know I'm not one of the usual guests, but would you mind if I help with the afternoon meal?" Vex asked. 

"We take any and all help that is offered. We do not mind at all," murmured the priestess, tucking the money into her robes. 

"Excellent," Vex said, already pinning back a bit of her hair. "Is there someone I talk to over there who can direct me to where help is needed?" 

"Just ask for Lily once you get to the kitchen. She's doing coordination for today," the priestess said. "Thank you again for your willingness to give back." 

"It's the least I can do." 

"May the Wildmother smile upon you," the priestess said, bowing her head.

"And you as well." Vex replied, before making her way over towards the chapel where the kitchen was located. 

Inside was a middle aged woman, her deep red hair pinned up in a messy bun as she directed others to different positions. "Andrew, you're in charge of cutting the bread for sandwiches. Victoria, the tomato soup is all yours… Oh, hello." Lily looked over and saw Vex, recognition lighting her eyes. "Oh dear, is everything all right?" 

Vex recognized Lily as well, as the woman who had brought her here the first time. She gave her an easy smile. "Everything is wonderful,” she replied. "I've been fortunate enough to find a better life. But I know I wouldn't have had that chance if not for you, and for this church. So I'm here to help, and repay the kindness you once showed me when I needed it most."

Lily smiled, looking her up and down, obviously noting her clothes - finer than they had once been - and healthier, filled-out cheeks. "We'd certainly appreciate another pair of hands. Come over, let's find something for you to do." 

It didn't take long for Vex to take her place next to some of the others, tasked with putting together the sandwiches for the woman next to her at the grill, Brooke, to start frying up.

Vex happily went into the work, cutting the cheese and tomatoes and assembling the sandwiches before passing them to Brooke. It felt good, to be doing this work. Giving back to a system that had helped her, even though she wasn't a fan of some systems in the world. A system was what tore her life apart, after all. 

When it came time for the meal, Vex stood out with the others, serving the food to those in need, and it felt so different to be on the other side of things.

A family of three, a mother and two little girls who were clearly malnourished, were among the first to come for food. Vex slipped some cash under their plate for them, and watched as the mother wept once she realized the bill she was holding. She had the money, thanks to the family she was wedding into. If she could make a difference to these people, whom she had been among not even two years ago, then she would.

The next hour or so both broke Vex's heart and bolstered her spirit, seeing so many people in need, but also seeing so many giving back in what ways they could. She couldn't give everyone some money, but she made sure to smile and wish them well, knowing just how much a kind face could improve someone's day. 

They finished around two in the afternoon, and Vex sat down with the other volunteers to finish off the leftovers. "Thank you again for your help," Lilly said, sitting next to Vex. "And for coming back. Not everyone does, and it's good to see you looking happier and healthier than you were when we met before."

Vex gave her a smile. "I was given an incredible chance,” she replied. "And I know how unbelievably lucky I am. But I remember what it's like. I don't think I'll ever really forget. I'm just happy I could pay back your kindness." 

Lily smiled at her, taking a bite from her sandwich. "And that's all it takes to make a difference. A little act of kindness goes a long way."

"As I've learned," Vex agreed. They finished their sandwiches and soup, cleaning up the hall as they left, and Vex found herself outside, the sky clouded over but bright as the summer sun shone through. She checked her phone, noting it would be another hour or so until Percy got out of his meetings, and waved farewell to Lilly and the other volunteers as she headed back toward the Quadroads and the city of Vasselheim proper.

As she wandered back through the streets, her phone buzzed with a text from Percy. 

_"Meeting ended a little early, did you decide on a place to eat?"_

_"I did. How does the Velvet Cabaret sound?"_ Vex replied. 

_"Excellent. I'll meet you there?"_

_"Works for me!"_ she sent back, along with the address of the restaurant. He sent her a thumbs up and she grinned, approaching the restaurant. The grilled cheese had been a nice snack, but she'd been walking around for most of the day. 

Walking outside the restaurant, Vex debated between going ahead and saving them a table, or waiting for Percy. It wouldn't be too busy, but it couldn't hurt to get their table early...

She walked into the restaurant, giving the hostess a smile. "Table for two, please." 

The hostess looked her up and down, and gave her a smirk. "I'm sorry ma'am, we don't accept people wearing... Well, whatever it is you're wearing. Sorry." 

Vex frowned lightly. "I'm not dressed any differently than a few of the other women in here." She gestured towards another group, also wearing shirts and jeans. 

The woman gave a pointed look at her forearm tattoos. "I'm sorry ma'am, another place then." She said, clearly not sorry at all.

Vex straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. This wasn't the first time higher classes had discriminated against her because of her tattoos, but this was the first time in an explicitly public place. "I'm sorry I won't be able to give you my patronage," Vex said, bowing her head. "I'll find somewhere more accepting to bring my business."

"You do that." The hostess almost downright sneered, but Vex just walked back out the door, grabbing her phone and texting Percy.

 _"Change of plans. The Bellows Respite?"_ She texted the new address.

 _"That's actually on my way, and a bit closer. See you in a few."_ He sent her a heart in a second message, and it lessened the frustration that was welling in her chest. She only hoped that the other restaurant she'd seen would be a bit more accepting. She sent him a thumbs up and took a deep breath, clearing her head as she kept walking.

When she arrived at the restaurant, she saw Percy waiting outside, his hands in his suit pockets. He smiled as he saw her, and she returned it with one of her own, moving to embrace him as he gave her a light peck on the lips. 

"How did your meetings go?" Vex asked, their hands sliding together as they went inside the restaurant.

"Decently well - Julius' presentation went smoothly, and they seemed to know what they were doing. Their aims weren't quite in line with where Whitestone is going, but we can see a partnership developing at some point." 

"Sounds like a productive day," Vex said. "I've done quite a bit, but I'll tell you everything while we wait for our food." 

"Sounds like a plan," Percy said, looking up to smile at the maitre'd.

"Hello, table for two?" he asked. 

"Yes,” Percy nodded, and they were taken to a table and given menus to peruse. 

"If you need anything, your server's name is Andre, and he'll be right with you.” The maitre’d smiled, giving them both respectful nods and glasses of water before he whisked away. 

"I like this place much better," Vex murmured, taking a sip of her water. 

"What caused you to change your mind?" Percy asked curiously. 

"The usual petty stuff. Me not looking "proper" enough for "classy" establishments." Vex used air quotes, rolling her eyes. "I was dressed no differently than other patrons, but apparently the tattoos were too risqué."

Percy frowned. "That's no reason to deny you service." 

"They're perfectly allowed. It's their establishment," Vex scoffed, not trying to hide her irritation. "But they're idiots, and we don't need to keep talking about them. Let me tell you about the rest of my day." 

Percy's lips remained downturned, but the crease between his eyebrows softened. "It's not fair." 

"That's the way the world is, though," Vex murmured, reaching out to take his hand.

Percy squeezed her hand gently. "Still not a reason." 

"Anyways," Vex said, changing the topic. "I spent most of today volunteering at the temple of Melora." 

"Really?" Percy asked, raising his eyebrows. "I wasn't expecting that, to be honest." 

"I wasn't either." Vex let out a light chuckle. "But they were kind to me when I needed help two years ago. So I gave it back with my time. And most of my cash." She chuckled a little, taking a sip of her water. "It felt good though. Helping people the way I had needed to be helped when I was in their shoes."

"One of the greatest things about having money is being able to give it to people who need it more than you," Percy said, smiling and giving her an intentional look. 

"These people needed it more than I did-" 

"But weren't you one of them, once upon a time?" Percy asked, and Vex scoffed. He was, of course, right. She'd just said so, hadn't she? 

"Giving people a one-hundred dollar tip is different than giving money to the church." 

"I've never held much stock in the gods," Percy said thoughtfully. "But I do believe in you, so I'd say that's nearly the same thing."

Vex chuckled. "I mean, I'm not much for the gods either,” she replied. "Though if I had to choose one it’d probably be Pelor... But I didn't donate to the temple of Melora because of that. I donated because what they do helps, and because years ago, they helped me when I needed it." 

"Regardless, what you did was commendable," Percy murmured. 

"I'm glad I did it," Vex replied. "If I was able to help any of those people, just by a kind smile or making sure they had food, or some money to care for children... It was heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time."

Percy's face had softened, his gentle smile making her blush. "I did what needed to be done," she finished. 

"And I'm glad you felt called to do so," Percy said, squeezing her fingers. "Your heart is so big, and you live who you are regardless of what people think... I love that about you." 

Vex felt her cheeks darken, but she could hear the earnest nature of his voice and took another drink from her glass to give herself time to think.

It was then that a darker-skinned Marquesian man came up to them, a notepad in hand. "My apologies for the wait," he said, a light accent lilting in his voice. "I am Andre and I will be your server this afternoon. Is there anything besides water I can get for you today?"

"A strawberry margarita, please." Vex gave him a smile. 

"Ah, a wonderful choice. Ours are the best in the entirety of Vasselheim, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He gave her a warm smile, before looking at Percy. "And for the gentleman?" 

"A glass of your finest Cabernet Sauvignon, please. From Wildemount, if you have it." 

"But of course." He nodded. "I'll fetch your drinks, if you need some more time to peruse the menu?" 

"Some more time would be nice." Vex agreed, and Andre just smiled before leaving the table. 

Vex gently ran her thumb over Percy's fingers. "I just... am who I am." she murmured. "And some people like that. Most people don't. But I'm glad that you don't mind." She gave him a small smile.

"I'm not sure I could mind if I tried," Percy admitted. 

Vex rolled her eyes, and untangled her hand from his, reaching for the menu to actually look at it instead of talking. "Ohh," she murmured, flipping through it. "They have some good pasta dishes, it looks like. And a couple venison dishes too - interesting. I can't say I've ever had that before." 

"Vasselheim has different laws on hunting, because of the Vesper Timberlands so close to the city borders," Percy said, also flipping through his menu. "If I understand correctly, certain companies have the rights to buy meat from approved hunters, and others are discouraged with hefty fines for hunting on any protected lands."

Vex let out a thoughtful hum. "I think I'll try some venison stew, then,” she decided, closing her menu. "Just for something a little different, and to try some of the local fare." 

Percy nodded, humming as he looked through the menu. "Good idea... I think I'll have a venison steak.” He nodded, closing his own menu. 

Their drinks were brought shortly afterwards, and Vex smiled as she sipped at her margarita. "Oh, this is wonderful... here, try a sip," she offered it to Percy.

Percy looked at it skeptically, but once the two of them had given Andre their orders he tried a sip, humming and nodding as he placed it back on the table. "Tastes like a margarita," he said, chuckling. "A little sweet for my tastes, but good enough." 

"It's the best I've had in a while," Vex hummed, taking another sip. "Tal'dorei has some excellent ales, but the best tequila comes from Marquet, and this is fantastic." She smiled, enjoying the sweetness of the strawberry right alongside the tartness of the alcohol.

Percy hummed, taking a mouthful of water before sipping at his wine. "I'm glad it's to your tastes, my lady." He smiled, raising the glass to her. 

Vex chuckled, and they continued to chat for a while about small things until their food was served. Vex took a bite of her stew, and hummed happily. "Oh, this is delicious... the meat almost melts in your mouth, it's so good."

Percy took a bite of his steak, and nodded in agreement. "We'll have to give our compliments to the kitchen when we have a chance." 

They finished their dinner quickly, too busy enjoying their food to discuss much, but when Andre came back just before they'd finished, they agreed to get some dessert - a tart selection with seasonal fruits from the area. They discussed a few of the sights Vex had seen and wanted to visit, and some of the things Percy was interested in. Vex took notes and mapped out some of the places on her phone, seeing which ones would be feasible to visit during the evenings, and which places they might want to take more time at.

"Do you have some time tonight?" Vex asked, biting her bottom lip and letting it go absentmindedly. "Or do you have anything you have to attend?" 

"I should probably check in with Julius, he had a presenter's meeting that he had to attend, but afterwards I should be fine." Percy replied, checking his phone. "If you'd like, we can run over to the conference hall so I can meet with him quickly, and then after that we can do something fun?" 

"That sounds good to me," Vex nodded. "Let's see, the Raven's Crest is apparently gorgeous to visit at night. Want to do that?"

"I'd love to," Percy said. "I've can't say I've seen it at night." 

"There's a few reviews of the area that say the lights in the Duskmeadow around it are beautiful as well. We can walk down there and see." 

"Sounds like a plan," Percy said with a nod. "We might want to take a cab some of the way down there, but it sounds like it should be lovely." 

"You don't want to walk that far?" Vex teased, and Percy rolled his eyes, but smiled. 

"It's been a long day, and I'm not as fit as you, we've established. Taking a cab would be my choice," Percy said with a chuckle.

"Fine," Vex teased, reaching across the table to gently squeeze his fingers. 

"I also want to save myself for the other activities we have planned for this evening,” Percy murmured, giving her a sly smile. Vex chuckled softly, winking back. 

"Very fair. Shall we head out, then?" she asked. 

"Yes." Percy nodded, paying the bill and leaving Andre a nice tip before they were off, Percy calling for a cab to take them to the convention center.


	7. Duskmeadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they continued to walk, the colors changed, moving to blues and purples as the trees clustered together a little more. As they emerged from the trees, they could see the Raven's Crest, lit up from the inside. Almost the entire building was made of black glass, and they could see small pinpricks of light moving through the translucent walls of the building. 
> 
> "Wow," Vex whispered as she watched, "It's hard to believe this building is thousands of years old."
> 
> "It is," Percy agreed, stopping to watch. Vex paused for a moment as well, but curiosity drew her forward. The lights seemed to be drifting lazily across the ceiling of the building, black glass within the walls of the building making some patches of light darker. She tried to figure out some pattern to their movement, but it seemed organic, as if the whole building had a slowly beating heart of deep purple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter tags for this episode of smut, since it gets pretty intense, just as a warning.
> 
> Soft exhibitionist/semi-public sexual advances occur.  
> Dom/Sub dynamics  
> Aftercare for an intense scene where Vex goes nonverbal (in a positive manner)

The ride to the convention center wasn't long, and Percy headed inside to meet with Julius, promising to be out within half an hour at the very latest. Vex found one of the benches outside and enjoyed the sun slowly setting over the mountains beyond the city, watching people pass as she sat there. A few people stopped to look at the signs near the center, and the bus stop nearby was busy as people left their jobs and headed home for the evening. 

After about twenty five minutes a woman sat down on the other side of the bench, engrossed with her phone, dark hair pulled up into a bun. Her black suit jacket was neatly pressed, and she tucked her legs beneath the bench, looking the part of a proper business woman.

Vex didn't say anything, just glanced down at her phone as it buzzed. 

_"I'll be out a little later than I thought, got caught up in a conversation."_ Percy had texted. Vex replied right away, feeling hyperaware of the woman’s presence next to her.

 _"Take your time darling, I'm fine out here :)"_

"What company do you work for?" The woman asked, and Vex looked over at her. She was looking curiously over, and Vex let out a slightly awkward laugh. 

"Oh, I don't work for any of the companies here,” she replied. "But my fiance works for Whitestone."

"Whitestone? Really?" the woman said, sounding interested. "I think my company was interested in brokering a deal with them." 

"And you work with?" 

"Vecna Industries," the other woman said, nodding. She pulled out a card and handed it over. "My name is Anna, and your name is?" 

"Vex'ahlia," Vex said, feeling the longer version of her name slip past her lips. "Nice to meet you, Anna." They shook hands, and Vex flipped the card over a couple times, looking at the professional layout, trying to get a feel for the company. She didn't feel like any sort of professional for the situation, but the card was neat, with Anna's full name written in a neat cursive font across the front.

Vex slid the card into her jeans pocket, thinking of giving it to Percy later. "Like I said, I don't work for Whitestone, so I sadly don't have a card to return the favor." 

"Oh, not a problem dear." Anna smiled at her. "Though some advice? If your fiance is high enough in the food chain that you get to come to the conferences with him, then you might want to get some made, just in case." 

Vex fidgeted a little, trying not to let her discomfort show. Anna was right, of course... she should know better, at this point. Even just carrying around some of Percy's, if not her own. "I'll definitely think about that, thank you." Vex replied.

"How recently did you get engaged?" Anna asked, obviously noticing Vex's discomfort with the topic. "Vasselheim is certainly a lovely place to visit, and there's so much to see. I don’t think I’ll be able to visit everything this trip, even in the down time between meetings and seminars." 

"Only a month or so ago," Vex said, rounding as best she could in her head. "It hasn't been long, but I wanted to see the city and he wanted some company while he was overseas, so he paid the extra for me to come with him." 

"Sounds like a good man you've got yourself," Anna said, smiling as she nodded. 

"He is," Vex agreed, feeling her cheeks flush slightly, though she was able to keep her poise.

Anna checked her phone again, and then stood. "My ride is here, but it was a pleasure to meet you, Vex'ahlia. Hopefully our companies do make a deal, I'd love to spend more time with you." She smiled. 

"A pleasure to meet you as well." Vex nodded her head respectfully. "And I hope so as well, any deal that will help both companies thrive." She returned the smile.

"Indeed. Until later then." She nodded politely before walking off, heels clacking briskly against the pavement and reminding Vex vividly of Vesper.

Her phone buzzed and she nearly jumped at the reminder of its presence, feeling flustered as she checked it. 

_"Finally on my way out - be down in a minute."_

_"See you soon,"_ she shot back, smiling and tucking her phone away. Vex stood, stretching some, and walked around a little bit, back over to the door where Percy had gone inside. She leaned against the pillar outside, watching the sunset until the door "whooshed" softly open behind her. Turning, she saw Percy and smiled, reaching out to take hold of his hand. "Everything going well with your brother?" she asked.

"Everything is fine," Percy replied, lacing their fingers together. "Got caught up in a fairly interesting conversation, but I am so ready to go out with you." He chuckled. 

Vex smiled. "Well, let's get that cab so we get to the general area, though you aren't getting completely out of walking." She gently poked his side.

He rolled his eyes playfully, but took out his phone and called up a car, which only took a couple minutes to arrive, during which Vex directed his gaze to the sun finishing its journey across the sky, dipping below the mountains. "It feels good to just have some time here, away from Emon," she murmured, leaning into his shoulder. "And I think I'm going to have fun exploring the city, with and without you." 

"I hope you'll enjoy the best parts of it with me, though." Percy murmured, arm wrapped around her shoulder as they watched the sunset together.

"Oh, absolutely. Actually, I passed by a club that might be fun to visit one of these nights - experience a bit of local culture in a different way." She looked up at him, chuckling at the skeptical look on his face.

"You're really going to keep pushing that on me until we actually do it, aren't you?" Percy groaned, rubbing at his temple with his other hand. 

"You know me so well, darling." Vex chuckled. "Besides, I've been to the club I'm referring to, and I promise you, it's a lot of fun. Just drinking and dancing and having a good time." 

"I don't think I know the kind of dancing required at those places." Percy replied. 

"That's what I'm here for," Vex laughed. "I'll teach you, don't worry."

"I can't necessarily say I'm looking forward to dancing, but I'm looking forward to spending time with you," he murmured, kissing her head. 

A car pulled up, and he looked up, waving, and the two of them got in, letting the driver know they were headed to the Duskmeadow. The drive was nice, quiet, and spent looking out at the city, where lights were flickering on as night started falling over the city. 

When they reached the Duskmeadow district, more scattered with trees than the central portion of the city, they could see many of the older buildings lit with lights from the ground, sending their columns into stark relief against the dark of night.

They got out, Percy giving the driver a nice tip, and walked hand in hand through the trees, looking at the beautiful orbs strategically placed amongst them, providing low light for those who walked the trails this late. 

"It's so beautiful." Vex murmured softly, leaning into Percy a little bit.

"It is," he agreed. "The way they almost make patterns through the trees... It's gorgeous." 

Vex looked farther down the street beside them, and then into the thin trail winding between the buildings on the block. She imagined they were suspended in air for a moment, with no trees to support them, and saw how they would look like waves cresting and falling as they went on, blue and white and golden lights in a cascade. "The Raven's Crest is just a bit farther," she murmured, pulling him farther down the path. "I assume they get more intricate up there."

As they continued to walk, the colors changed, moving to blues and purples as the trees clustered together a little more. As they emerged from the trees, they could see the Raven's Crest, lit up from the inside. Almost the entire building was made of black glass, and they could see small pinpricks of light moving through the translucent walls of the building. 

"Wow," Vex whispered as she watched, "It's hard to believe this building is thousands of years old."

"It is," Percy agreed, stopping to watch. Vex paused for a moment as well, but curiosity drew her forward. The lights seemed to be drifting lazily across the ceiling of the building, black glass within the walls of the building making some patches of light darker. She tried to figure out some pattern to their movement, but it seemed organic, as if the whole building had a slowly beating heart of deep purple.

Vex was drawn forwards until she was on the steps, looking up. She felt... something. A phantom pain throbbing in her heart, a sadness she couldn't place, but just as quickly as it was there, it was gone. She felt Percy at her side, looking up as well. "I don't know how they're pulling this off... It's almost as if it's magic."

"I have no idea," he admitted. She heard his mouth open, as if some thought wanted to escape him, but he closed his mouth before it could, and they watched it for a bit longer, the lights changing how they moved with each second. Vex took a deep breath, shaking herself out of a bit of a trance, and looked around them, at some others who were watching the lights and some who were walking through the courtyard outside of the temple. It was a strange place, busy and serene at the same time.

Percy turned to her then, and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, squeezing her hand gently. "Thank you for bringing us. You're right, this is truly breathtaking."

"I'm glad we had the chance to come," Vex said, pressing up on her tiptoes to kiss his lips. "Do you want to walk back, or stay for a bit longer?"

"A bit longer, I think." Percy murmured, kissing her back. "It's a beautiful night."

"It is," Vex agreed, looking up at the stars she could see above them. It wasn't as many as could be seen from the park in Emon, but it was enough to make her feel small, and she smiled, looking around at the other orbs suspended throughout the park. "If I remember correctly, there's a fountain down the way a little bit - should we try to find it?"

"Let's." Percy smiled, putting an arm around her waist as they walked together, just enjoying each other's company. They came upon the fountain after a while, and it too was lit with shimmering lights. Percy let go of her to lean over the edge of the water, inspecting under the edge. Vex laughed softly at the sight, the tips of Percy's hair brushing the surface of the water.

"I think I have to be careful, otherwise I'll get a shower," he murmured, pulling back. "The lights are fascinating, though. I'd love to come back and see them in the day, and possibly see what they're made of." 

"And take the magic out of it all?" she asked, smirking.

"I just like knowing how things work." Percy chuckled. "Especially when they make effects like this... I'd love to be able to recreate the effect...Maybe use it in a clock some day."

"That's an idea," Vex mused, not leaning into the fountain in an attempt to study the orbs behind the waterfall from below a raven's outstretched wings, but looking out to the others that were scattered around the paths. "Imagine if they could move like planets, or act like minute or second hands." 

"There are a lot of possibilities," Percy said, regarding the fountain with a critical stare. "I'd be interested to investigate them more." His fingers twitched in hers. 

"Getting a little antsy, are we, darling?" she asked, a grin spreading across her lips.

"I just really want to know how they work," Percy replied, his fingers twitching again. "Though I will admit, I've been looking forwards to later as well. I'm quite torn, to be frank.” He chuckled.

"Well, we could always come back while the sun's out," she murmured, crawling the fingers of her free hand up his arm. "And engage in... other pursuits more suited to the darker hours of the day while they're available to us."

"Mm, you certainly know how to tempt me, dear," Percy murmured, gently tilting Vex's face towards his, and giving her a light kiss before murmuring in her ear. "You trust me, right?" 

"Of course," Vex murmured. "With my life." 

"Good," Percy replied, breathing into her ear and making her shiver softly. "If you get uncomfortable at all, tell me to stop." 

"What are you planning?" Vex asked, cocking an eyebrow, and Percy just smiled, taking her hand and pulling her into the trees, off of the trail.

"We're not heading back to the hotel first?" she asked, though she felt a thrill run up her spine as they moved deeper into the trees. It was dark certainly, but not very late yet, and there were still plenty of people wandering about the trails.

"We'll end up in the hotel," Percy murmured into her ear. "But I said I'd make you beg, didn't I?" With that, he gently pushed her against a nearby tree trunk, fitting his mouth against hers as he pressed his body against hers, his hands on her waist.

Her instinct was to flip him around and take control, but she pushed it back, letting him take the lead. A moan escaped her lips as he pulled back for air, and she heard herself whine as he dove back in, grinding against her and sucking hard at her lip.

"Shhh, you have to be quiet," Percy whispered as their lips parted. "You don't want to be heard." 

Vex panted softly, swallowing hard. "Sorry," she whispered, but Percy just gave her a smile she more felt than saw, his hand moving up, pushing her shirt up and exposing her bra-covered breasts to the open air.

She sucked in a breath, biting her tongue as she felt a breeze across her abdomen. Pressing her lips tightly together, she struggled to stay quiet as he slipped his fingers beneath each cup, delicately playing with her nipples until they were hard and each brush of his fingers sent a jolt down to her core.

Percy smiled, leaning in to press his lips against her throat, sucking lightly at the skin before kissing up her jaw to her ear. "How turned on are you right now?" he whispered. "Knowing there are people only feet away, and here you are, struggling to stay quiet." He nipped lightly at her earlobe before pinching a nipple between his thumb and finger.

"Don't get me started," she hissed out, hands scrabbling for something to hold onto and finally settling on his shoulders. Her fingers dug into the stiff fabric and she wriggled beneath him as he sucked on the spot where her neck met her shoulder.

"Oh?" Percy hummed softly, his hand sliding down to her jeans, cupping her through the material and letting out a soft chuckle as her hips bucked against her will, trying to gain more pressure. "I can feel you through the jeans... you're _dripping_ ,” he purred, kissing her ear once more as he whispered to her.

Vex mentally voiced a string of swear words she didn't want to let spill aloud, and gasped as he rubbed over _just_ the right spot for a moment. A hand passing over a candle, a spot of heat gone too soon that she tried to follow, only for his other hand to hold her upright. "Percy," she murmured as quietly as she could, not yet near the edge but desperately wanting to be there.

"Yes, Vex'ahlia?" he murmured, kissing her earlobe gently as his hand ran over her abdomen, and pushed her bra up, exposing her breasts to the cool night air. Vex shuddered at the sensation, a thrill coursing through her spine at the thought that anyone could walk a little too close and see her, exposed for the world to see. She could feel her nipples, already sensitive, pebble further, and her breath hitched at the thought of someone else seeing her like this.

She shivered, leaning her head forward to rest it on his, inhaling sharply as he froze, then lowered his face away from hers, ever so slowly, to rest on her left breast. His lips ghosted over the skin, and she shuddered beneath the feeling, toes curling as his tongue darted out from between his lips sparingly. It left a trail of wet dots around her nipple, and his saliva cooled quickly in the open air.

Vex was breathing hard, biting her lip to keep the noises she so desperately wanted to make from escaping. "Percy..." she whispered, and they both froze as they heard someone laugh from mere feet away. Vex held her breath, eyes wide and looking at Percy, who looked back up at her. She felt his hand move, ever so slowly, back between her legs, pressing two fingers against her as she heard the other person talk.

They were discussing something on the phone with someone, their voice cutting through the trees and echoing off the pavement around them. Percy pressed up and Vex had to fight the urge to pull away, her heart racing like a stuttering engine. But she also had to keep from grinding down on his fingers; she knew the friction would be too much, and she didn't trust her voice to stay silent.

Percy didn't move his fingers, but kept the pressure there as he slowly took her wrist and pulled it down from where she had instinctively reached to cover herself at the voice, pinning it against the tree and leaving her breasts completely exposed. She wanted to moan, eyes darting towards the voice as her breathing picked up a little, everything just made so intense by the entire situation.

He leaned close to her, cheek to hers, his breath ghosting over her ear. "You good?" he breathed, and she shuddered, but nodded, his body warm against hers. It wasn't too much, not yet, and there was something undeniably exciting about giving him control like this. "Excellent," he murmured, dropping his voice to a lower octave that stirred something deep in her gut.

As the voice moved further away, Percy started growing bolder, kissing her lips once more as he slid his fingers underneath the waistband of her jeans, dipping just the tips of his fingers into her folds. "Holy shit, Vex," he breathed against her lips.

"It's all your doing, darling," she said in a whisper, feeling her muscles clench instinctively as he crooked his fingers. 

"And all this for me?" he asked, a tension evident in his voice. She met his eyes and was nearly blown away by the intensity in them. 

"It's not for anyone else," she gasped, sighing as he circled her clit, rocking her hips into his attentions. Their eyes were still locked together, and she felt a rush of heat flood through her. "Percy..."

"Vex," Percy whispered her name, and his fingers quickened. Vex let out a soft moan into his mouth, body tensing, but right as she reached the edge... Percy pulled his fingers away, smiling against her lips. "Let's head to the hotel, shall we?" he murmured

Vex's first instinct was to shout out, but but she held back, breathing hard as he raised an eyebrow. She felt her cheeks color and she held back a moan as her arousal peaked again, her nether regions hot, the fabric of her jeans rubbing her in just the right place to turn her on more as she straightened up, bringing her weight back on top of her own feet. "This is what you meant by 'beg'," she mumbled, inhaling sharply and biting her lip as she readjusted her bra, the edge of it rubbing against her nipples for a second. She pulled back down her shirt and fought to keep her fingers from reaching down to her groin. "Shit."

Percy just gave her a serene smile and wrapped his hand around her waist, keeping it on her hip. "I haven't quite heard begging yet, to be fair,” he told her, and Vex felt like even just walking was almost too much. She was keenly aware of the cloth between her legs, wet and rubbing against her just enough to keep her arousal peaked. "Now we can stroll for a bit longer, if you'd like?" he asked teasingly.

"You know, I think I'd like to head back to the hotel, actually," she said, spreading her legs slightly in an attempt to keep her jeans from rubbing against her. It didn't work, and she bit her lip again, taking a deep breath and holding tight, her muscles clenching.

"Are you certain? It's such a lovely evening," Percy teased, even as he pulled his phone out and she saw him request a car to pick them up.

"It is, but it's also getting late, and we want you to be rested for tomorrow," Vex said, doing her best to keep her gait steady. "Got to get you your beauty sleep."

"Of course," Percy smirked, thumb gently rubbing over her waistband. The car came shortly afterwards, and Vex was trying her hardest to come down at least a little, which made it difficult when Percy took advantage of the darkness and kept his hand between her legs. Not moving his fingers, just cupping her with light pressure.

They were just entering the Quadroads, the architecture around them becoming more modern, Vex paying careful attention to everything outside the window in an attempt to keep her mind off of her arousal, when Percy started moving one finger up and down her slit, still through her jeans. She clenched reflexively and held her breath as a moan bubbled up within her chest. But he didn't stop. 

"Percy," she murmured, hoping to impart a warning in her voice. 

"Yes dear?" he asked, turning his gaze from he front of the car to her, pressing a little more insistently with his fingers.

Vex did her best not to squirm. "Are you certain that matters can't wait until we get back to the room?" she asked. 

"Sorry dear, I know I'm distracted but I promise that I'll be finished with business talk soon," Percy replied. "Then I can give you all the attention you need when we get back to the room."

He pulled out his phone, holding it with one hand and her in the other, and she huffed, grateful to release some amount of frustration verbally. He pressed sharply against her clit and Vex's head fell back, a grown caught in her throat.

The rest of the ride was short, but it stretched out so far, with Percy's fingers pressed against her. She nearly tripped over herself getting out, impatiently wanting to get to the hotel room. She was certain her flush was quite visible, and her need for Percy swelled within her, making her weak at the knees. 

Percy was taking his time as they went up to the room, and he kissed her chastely as they entered the elevator. "When we get in the room, I want you on your back on the bed once your clothes are off,” he purred into her ear.

She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak. He wasn't touching her any more, but she felt hot all over and there was the matter of her jeans again. She spread her legs slightly, leaning back on the cool wall of the elevator, and she sighed at the welcome change in temperature. The elevator started moving up and Vex felt Percy's arm snake behind her, warm and surrounding her... She felt a jolt in her stomach as they stopped and was glad their room wasn't on a higher floor.

Percy let them into the room, and Vex immediately started pulling off her clothes, feeling flushed and hot and desperate. The removal of her jeans was a welcome relief, though her entire core throbbed at the thought of what was to come. She laid on the bed, as requested, and watched as Percy started meticulously removing his suit, making sure everything was folded and put away properly.

Watching as he stripped off layer after layer was torturous, and Vex whined as he folded his fucking _tie_ and set it on top of his other clothes before starting to unbuckle his belt. 

"Patience," he murmured, voice low but carrying across the room. Her core clenched at the sound, and Vex whimpered again, the fingers of one hand clutching at the sheets of the bed, the other inching toward her thigh - even just a little bit of pressure would be enough...

"Hands off," Percy told her, tone sharp, and even just that authoritative tone... Her hand jumped to her side, holding still as she swore at him in her head and felt the warmth in her core peak. 

Once Percy was naked, everything folded neatly on the desk, he walked over to her, a lazy smile on his face. "How are you doing, dear?" he murmured, gently running the tips of his fingers down her stomach.

She tried to arch away from his touch, but he followed her down, his hand moving back and forth, and then up to her left breast. "I've been better," she managed, writhing as he pulled gently at one nipple. "Percy, please-" She was cut off as his other hand settled on her skin, sweeping around her sensitive bud before brushing to hold it in his palm, weighing it in his smooth, lightly calloused hand.

"There's that magical word I was looking for," Percy hummed, smiling as Vex moaned, arching into the touch. He squeezed her breast gently, before he let go so he could get onto the bed, sliding between her legs. Vex tried to wrap them around his waist, pull him in closer to where she needed him, but Percy put a hand on her thigh and kept her spread wide. "You're being greedy,” he murmured to her. "You were so polite, and that got you here. Manners, dear." he murmured, gently squeezing the flesh in his hand.

"Have your own manners-" she quipped, only to let out a moan as Percy pinched her upper thigh, not close enough to be significantly arousal-inducing, but enough to be sensitive as hell. "Oh, fuck." 

He chuckled. "That's the intent, if you decide to behave," he hummed, just loud enough for her to hear.

"And what if I don't?" Vex asked, raising an eyebrow at him. 

Percy just gave her a smile. "Then you don't get what you want." 

His fingers moved to her clit, rubbing quickly over the swollen nub. Vex thrashed, letting out cries, but as soon as she neared the edge, he pulled away. "You don't get to come,” he purred into her ear, and once the edge had waned slightly, she felt the head of his cock teasing at her entrance with an almost thrust before moving away. "And you don't get me."

Vex's breath caught at that, the loss of his touch making her incredibly anxious for a moment. She knew she didn't like surrendering control - oftentimes she liked to take it if she could - but this felt different, more intimate in a way. Blinking, she realized Percy's face was hovering over hers, a small furrow between his brows. 

"You're all right with this?" 

It was a question she wasn't sure how to answer, but here they were, together, and he'd never let her down yet. 

"So far," she murmured, nodding. Vex felt her cheeks flush, and she lowered her gaze to his chest, the swell of his pectorals and stomach enough to concentrate on so as not to look down a bit farther. 

Percy gently cupped her face against his palm, smoothing his thumb against her cheekbone. "Please tell me if it becomes too much,” he murmured softly. "I want this to be fun and new, not make you anxious." 

"I trust you," Vex murmured softly. "And I am having fun, I promise." She turned her head slightly so she could kiss his palm. "I'm sorry for my exclamation, my Lord," she murmured, and it wasn't hard to drop the pitch of her own voice, though she still felt breathless.

Percy pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Good,” he murmured, before his own voice dropped as he went back into whatever character he was playing for this game. "I like hearing you apologize. It's one step closer to what I want to hear from you." He leaned in to nip softly at her lips, and she felt the length of him press into her left thigh, too far down to have a hope of pressing in yet, but enough to send a spark through her belly.

She took a breath, trying to calm herself down a little, but Percy bucked softly against her leg, his cock hardening as he did, until it was solid as it moved. He kissed her again, and she hardly dared to kiss him back with the overwhelming split between what she wanted to feel and what he was letting her feel. It was so close, and yet far too distant. It was bordering on torture.

Vex started panting softly against his mouth when his fingers trailed up her thigh, and as they teased at her clit once more, she felt something in her cave. It was too much, she needed more. She needed him. "Percy... please... oh gods please." The words left her lips before she could stop them. "I need you darling, please..." She didn't realize until that moment that tears had started to leak from her eyes, the sensations and lack of control and pure fire searing through her body almost overwhelming her.

"There we go," Percy murmured, breath ghosting over her ear. He pulled his hand away and she bucked after it, trying to follow the sensation, nearly crying out as he left her. His presence was there and close - too close - but distant in the same moment and she wanted to scream- He pressed a kiss to one side of her face, atop the cooling track of one tear gliding down her cheek, and she heard herself whine, needing more, needing something, needing him.

"I've got you, Vex,” he whispered. "I'm right here." He gently held her face with one hand, and she felt him press between her legs, and she cried out as he pushed into her, filling her. Making her whole. She reached up to hold the hand against her cheek, a sob escaping her lips at the overwhelming sensations from everywhere. His lips, the feeling of his cock inside of her, his fingers, the warmth of him against and inside of her... And when he rolled his hips, she almost felt like she was shattering.

"Percy!" she exclaimed, the name torn from her lips like a proclamation, and he pulled out, pushing back in before he'd finished the journey, her back arching off the bed as he filled her completely. His touch was burning her from the inside out and she couldn't get enough of the flame sending her arousal into an overwhelming crescendo, building with each new thrust, pushing farther than she could have imagined.

She could feel his lips against her skin, hear that he was murmuring words to her, but it was all barely there. She couldn't hear what he was saying, lost in the sound of the blood rushing through her ears as her entire body seized and arced into him, crying out wordlessly as it felt like her world exploded. She instinctively grabbed at him, nails digging into his skin as she openly sobbed, feeling like everything was overstimulated, but each thrust continue to stoke the fire, sending her over the edge for a second time not long afterwards.

Vex felt her muscles clench around him, though where her tightness began and his fullness ended blurred together as she felt him jerk, the rhythm disrupted but the feelings continuing to soar, as his heat filled her even more. It spilled within her like a song from the lips or a melody from an instrument, wild and free and cacophonous, but clear in its improvisation and joyful because of it. She heard herself gasp, and she felt, finally, like she knew what devotion meant. It was nameless, descriptionless, but all the better for it. Vex tried to come up with words for it, but she felt herself float away, held tightly by the knowledge that she was safe and beloved.

Her breathing was ragged, tears flowing freely down her face now, and she felt Percy's lips on her cheeks, her forehead. "I've got you,” she heard him whisper, felt his hands touch her face, her hair, and she didn't think it was possible, but she swore her heart managed to both throb and skip a beat in her chest. "I love you. You were amazing, incredible, perfection. So good for me..." he whispered, and Vex just let out another sob, still feeling overwhelmed with all the sensations, Percy still deep inside of her. She didn't have the words to answer him, no way to communicate, really. Just the tears falling down her cheeks and the gasping breaths she took, and the way her fingers still dug into his skin, needing him close, needing him still, even though their sex had finished.

"You were beautiful- you are beautiful," he murmured, kissing her on the cheek again, his lips leaving a wet mark on her skin. "You did so well. Come back, dear. Come back to me." 

She whimpered, feeling her limbs shaking, and clutched his hand, breath catching as she tried to inhale. His hand left her cheek, and she nearly cried out for it, but then she felt it on her chest, the base of his hand on the front of her ribs, just above her breasts, a slight pressure to ground her even as he slipped out from between her legs, only to slide around her and hold her to his chest the next moment, his head resting on her shoulder.

Vex held onto his hands with both of hers, her body still shaking as she let herself cry, not having any other outlet to express herself. She trembled in his arms, but as the minutes ticked by her crying started to fade and her body stilled, letting the warmth of him soothe her, and reassure her that he was there. She was there. Everything was fine. 

Percy's lips pressed against her shoulder. "There we go," he murmured softly, thumb gently rubbing up and down over the patch of skin it could reach. "That was intense, but I am so proud of you… I love you, Vex'ahlia." His whisper of her full name was reverent, worshipful.

Vex nodded, buying herself time in the precious few seconds it took for her to find her voice again. She felt raw, peeled apart, but thoroughly satisfied. Part of her felt like it had ascended to some higher plane - something beyond herself. "Love you too," she croaked, throat dry, when her vocal cords let themselves work. "That was..." She found herself speechless, and felt Percy's lips press against the back of her shoulder as he hummed in agreement. 

"I know," he murmured.

Vex closed her eyes, letting out a long breath. After a little while, once she’d fully recovered her breath, she realized what she wanted to say. 

“Thank you,” she whispered. 

"Thank _you_ ," Percy replied immediately, his arms squeezing her gently. "I wasn't certain if it would be something we'd enjoy, or that you would enjoy, but I think we both found that we enjoyed it quite a bit." 

"That would be an understatement, I think," Vex murmured, laughing softly, though it felt rough and sounded hoarse. She laced their fingers together, still keeping his hand against her chest.

"Is there anything else you need?" he asked. "Do you want some water?" 

"I'd like to lay here for a bit longer, actually," Vex murmured, snuggling back a bit into his warmth.

Percy tightened his grip around her a little. "We can do that,” he murmured, pressing his lips to her shoulder over and over. Vex relaxed in his grip, feeling less floaty and more grounded as time went on. She could feel Percy's spend starting to leak, but ignored it for now. That was a problem for later. Right then, she just wanted to rest and enjoy Percy's warmth, the reminder that even throughout their game, he had been hers.

"Vex," Percy murmured. "Come on, dear, we need to get you cleaned up." 

"Hmm?" Vex blinked her eyes open and realized she'd been drifting off. "Oh, sorry." 

"It's all right," he chuckled, pulling away from her slowly. "But you need some water and we both need to clean up, or at least rinse off."

Vex made a grumpy face, but let Percy pull her up and out of the bed. Her legs still felt shaky, but she made it to the shower. "Take it with me?" she entreated him, and Percy smiled. 

"Of course,” he replied, moving to turn the water on and adjust the temperature. Vex watched him, and let a soft smile curl her lips. 

"...I can't wait to marry you,” she told him.

"Same," he murmured, pressing his lips to her temple. "I can't believe it'll be too different, but there's just something about it..." He trailed off as he stepped into the spray, and Vex followed behind him dutifully, humming as the warm water hit her. 

"We haven't given your mother a date yet," she pointed out as she grabbed the soap. "Did we even decide what season it would be in yet? I don't think so...." The thought of planning turned her stomach, but the hot water and Percy's presence close beside her were enough to soothe her.

Percy pressed his lips against her forehead. "The decision is ultimately up to you, but I know that I would enjoy a summer wedding, if only because we met and got engaged in the summer months." He grabbed the shampoo and squeezed some into his palm, before gently starting to wash Vex's hair for her, coming his fingers through the long strands and massaging her scalp with his fingers. “It’ll be something that’s true to us.”

She groaned softly at the feeling of his fingers against his head, confident in their strokes. "I feel like a winter wedding would be good because of the pictures, but it's just too cold," Vex said, washing her breasts and shoulders, moving down each arm individually. "I like the idea of getting married next summer as well, though maybe a bit earlier, when it's not as hot in Emon?"

Percy nodded in agreement, running his fingers through her hair once more to make certain it was soaped up. "Early June, then?" he asked. "Any particular dates in mind?" 

"Are there any that would be bad for you to take some time off?" Vex asked. "I don't know if there are any conferences or anything big around that time for you." 

"It isn't a very busy time. Sometime the first week of June, probably, so we have time to honeymoon." Percy replied. 

Vex hummed in thought, leaning her head back as Percy started massaging her scalp once more. "...June 4th?" she suggested.

"Sure?" he said, chuckling. "Though we should probably make sure that's a Saturday or Sunday before we finalize our plans." 

"The closest Saturday or Sunday to June 4th then," Vex amended, starting to work her way down her stomach with the soap. She laughed, and she could tell she was getting tired.

Percy waited until she finished cleaning between her legs before he tilted her head back, starting to wash the shampoo from her hair. Vex closed her eyes and basked in the attention. "You truly spoil me, darling,” she murmured. "I almost feel the need to spend a few nights on the street again."

"You deserve every second of this," he murmured, "Don't you dare tell yourself otherwise."

Vex let out a soft sigh. "It's hard sometimes,” she admitted. "Having so much. I've gotten a little more used to it, but even so...there's a part of me that makes me think it will all be taken away."

"Not if I can help it." His fingers finished running through her hair, and she heard him grab the conditioner from the shelf as he spun her back around.

Vex gave him a small, lazy smile. "You're too good for me,” she told him, and before he started on her hair again, she pulled him in for a long, loving kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, we swear we haven't forgotten about this fic. 
> 
> Just a note, this chapter is hands down both Dancer and mine's favorite that we've written, and we hope you guys enjoy it just as much as we do <3
> 
> We also plan to start trying to update this fic at least once a month. Not as frequently as our other fic, but trying not to ignore it for months at a time again.
> 
> We hope you enjoy!
> 
> ~Cinder


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